The E-Rank Ninja: Ghost of Naruto
by Maeahru
Summary: Konoha needs to protect and train one of their strongest resources, the young Nine-tails Jinchuuriki. Naruto is young and needs a friendly face. ANBU guards are expensive and impersonal. The Hokage finds a solution, providing his favorite Jinchuuriki a guardian and caretaker in the personage of the 'Eternal Genin'-Maruboshi Kosuke. Alternate Universe.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimers: Naruto is owned by Kishimoto (and his publishers).

Beta Thanks: I'm proud to thank **Lysdexic** (author of the excellent '_Team 5_') for all his advice and additions and **Sir-Shun** (author of the excellent '_Shadow and Wind: New Legends_') for his questions and grammar.

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><p>The third Hokage was angry. As a good leader, and an excellent ninja, it was difficult to perceive. Moreover, Sarutobi could not entirely blame the beleaguered man in front of him.<p>

"As you can see, with our current expenses and the drop in charity since we have provided housing for the boy, we will not be able to keep our doors open for much longer."

The director's tired and darkened eyes gazed firmly on his papers and away from the Hokage.

"Even with the gracious donation you have made, I regretfully request that Uzumaki Naruto be moved to a different orphanage."

Sarutobi Hiruzen accepted the proffered records and, quickly scanning through the relevant data, widened the scope of his anger. Clearly evident in the financial records of the orphanage was a cutting off of all charity provided to the orphanage by several of the major clans and not a few of the smaller clans.

Cutting short an exasperated sigh, the Hokage handed the records back to the superintendent. "Please give me a week to find a more" Hiruzen paused for a moment, "appropriate environment for young Naruto to grow up in." he said.

Hearing a clear dismissal, the superintendent thanked his Hokage and left the office. Noting that this was the last scheduled audience for the morning, Sarutobi declared himself in need of lunch.

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><p>The remainder of the day moved slowly as the Hokage endured various meetings, petitioners and oversaw the administrative facets of running a business that just so happened to also be a martial village. Heaving a sigh, Hiruzen slowly stood up and stretched his aching muscles.<p>

'_A brief spar_' he thought, '_followed by a long massage, a dip in the Onsen and a quick ice bath!_' That would certainly make his body feel invigorated and relaxed simultaneously, '_A good book would go a long ways as well, perhaps that treatise on Dichotomy vs. Trichotomy: Physical, Spiritual and Natural Chakra.'_ '_Or_,' as "The Professor" thought a bit more, '_Jiraiya's new Ichi Ichi book.'_

Walking over to the window, the one Jiraiya always used for his so-called Grand Entrances™, he looked out at the four giant heads staring back at him. '_Really, I just want something comforting, what was that first book Jiraiya wrote? The Tales of a Gutsy Ninja?'_ Being Hokage was the toughest job imaginable but there was his effigy mocking him, '_If only Biwako was still here!_'

Hiruzen continued to stare at the carved figureheads overlooking Konoha in silence for a time, lost in miserable thought—His teachers, his students, Jiraiya's student but most painful of all, his wife. His thoughts turned until finally they came back around to the pain in his bones and the need to relax '_Tales of a Gusty Ninja_', '_huh_' that brought him back to a problem that had to be resolved more permanently, Naruto.

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><p>'<em>Think<em>.' Telling himself to extrapolate a solution from a problem somehow wasn't working. Sarutobi didn't get to pace often as he worked but when not behind a desk it generally helped-just not at the moment.

The day was getting on, the deep blue of the sky cascading down and covering the last orange of sunset, and the Hokage could go home and be Hiruzen for a few hours. An easy enough path to take, one he could walk blindfolded, but he had since taken two impromptu divergences. First he had turned aside to head for that Onsen he had thought of earlier in the day. Foregoing those tranquil waters, however, he had ended up at the children's park.

This was one of the 'safe zones' for shinobi and civilians alike to allow their children to play freely outdoors and interact with each other. Only a few months earlier the Hyuuga heiress had been briefly kidnapped, a clear reminder that children were both precious and future warriors.

An ANBU guard was casually leaning against a lightpost in civilian clothing while her partner surreptitiously patrolled the area, just visible enough to be obvious to would-be kidnappers.

Hiruzen smiled and waved the patrolling ANBU over. The young shinobi lazily made a sweep of the park, probably noting everything in his brain despite the lethargic appearance. He proceeded to walk down the tree quite slowly (a 15 foot drop at most) and meandered over to the Hokage.

Obviously Hiruzen wouldn't name Kakashi outright while in ANBU mask but he took a grandfatherly tone, "The weather looks to cool off quite quickly tonight."

Dog shrugged, half in affirmation and half in long-suffering allowance.

"I imagine a young pup might enjoy the serene warmth of an Onsen on an evening like tonight."

Dog shrugged again and idly went back to his tree, once more walking lazily up the trunk rather than hopping to the branch.

Hiruzen snorted...seriously, Kakashi was so intent on appearing lazy and late that he would take the more strenuous option as long as it looked nonchalant and languid.

He himself felt like lazing around; it had been a long day filled with headaches and he felt he fully deserved this rest. So he simply watched as one by one the last of the children were picked up or called in for a late dinner.

This had been one of Biwako's ideas-having an ANBU guard at a few select parks served both the citizens of Konoha as well as the shinobi themselves. Allowing the hardened killers around children had caused a bit of an uproar when the thought was first suggested but ANBU were fashioned to obey orders (or more so than Jounin) and had yet to cause any disturbances. It was also a strong reminder to the 'hardened killers' of why they fought and for whom they fought as well as the preciousness of innocence in those arenas where innocence could be allowed.

That latter part was why Biwako had suggested it. Now Sarutobi Hiruzen was once more Hokage, older but infinitely less wise without his greatest and only real confidant to discuss...everything with.

He groaned a bit and sighed as he slowly stood up-not laziness, just age. Giving one last invitation to Dog with a few flicks of his wrist, he made his way to his favorite Onsen after all as he attempted to think of a solution to his second-largest personal problem.

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><p>Getting in the tepid water with a ginger step, Hiruzen reviewed the solutions that had proven to be specious in reality-discarding the ideas just as quickly as he cleansed his body from the work of the day before he could enter the onsen.<p>

Foremost was always the hope that Kushina would revive from her coma. To this end (along with the many additional injuries suffered in Konoha) the Slug Princess had immediately been recalled for a number of months. Tsunade herself had shown some interest in the medical predicament and perhaps had even softened in attitude during the months following the disaster. Sadly, after the physical injuries had been healed and Kushina failed to respond to further treatment, she had returned to her depression with a vengeance.

When the last of her patients, besides Kushina, were discharged she too savagely packed a few belongings and left to wallow in her depression. A note explaining all the technical details of the distorted chakra pathways and permanent terminal chakra depletion (in anyone but Kushina) was all that was left; along with the opinion that Kushina would only come out of the coma on her own eventually or not at all.

Both Yamanaka Inoichi and Inoshi, his father, had worked with Kushina on occasion. Inoshi had eventually agreed with Tsunade and declared the problem beyond his ability to delve. As far as his ability could discover Kushina was effectively brain-dead. Inoichi, a little younger and innovative had declared he was very close to pushing through the distortion around Kushina's mind. However, after extensive forays he had only been able to state that he thought Kushina had perhaps, maybe shown evidence that her mind was working. Somewhere. Somehow... despite the distortions and serious dearth of internal life-giving chakra.

Inoichi would still make bi-monthly visits to the hospital. Occasionally they ended in excitement as he thought some response or other had been made. Shortly thereafter excitement would abate as no evident change occurred.

Naruto was brought in to visit his mother once a week. He tried to put on a brave face for a toddler, but however much he hopped around and babbled about this or that he would eventually stop and show the pain before he would galvanize himself and gaily wave goodbye until next week.

Still, Kushina served a few purposes. Danzo had repeatedly asked to take Naruto into his root program. Danzo had once been a great advisor...but that was when Biwako had been the opposing voice of reason and helped adapt many of the warlike ideas into more reasonable service to Konoha. Now Hiruzen thought he sometimes let Danzo take things a little too far. Sometimes he knew he let Danzo take things too far.

Nonetheless, the Hokage had been able to point out that Naruto was technically not an orphan and could not be put into any 'special' programs without his guardian's permission until he came of age. An obvious excuse but technically sound.

The Uchiha had also inquired into acquiring the boy. As if Naruto were something to acquire.

His politically worded refusal also pretty much meant Naruto could not be officially adopted by any clan or political powerful shinobi.

The Sannin? They wouldn't be able to adopt Naruto or apprentice him under themselves without pissing off Danzo, the Uchiha and a few others with political aspirations. Not to mention, from what Hiruzen had been hearing recently, Tsunade was being taken care of by her rather young 'niece' rather than the other way around. As for Jiraiya... He _might_ make a much better father than anyone might think but… it was Jiraiya.

Hiruzen sighed once more as he got out of the tepid water. Cleaner but still without an idea of how to proceed. Biwako would have been the one to take care of this but she had been murdered on that terrible night. Now that the orphanage wasn't able to keep Naruto the easy way out had been taken away as well.

Hiruzen suspected Danzo or Uchiha Fugaku would make a visit in the next few days with an offer to take the boy. The orphanage books and numbers had not been falsified but that didn't mean someone hadn't intentionally diverted the charity away from that particular orphanage.

Taking a towel and drying off, the old man dejectedly stepped into the hot mineral waters of the Onsen, hoping to find relief from his bones. Sadly, he presumed, he would be unlikely to find relief from his headache. Now that he guessed Danzo or Fugaku had likely been behind this maneuvering he knew he only had a few days to find a better solution.

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><p>The old man was startled awake when he felt a ripple of water surge quietly past him. His first instinct was to counter with a strike of his own. Instead he simply opened his eyes, turned around and smiled as the younger man entered the onsen. (After all, he hadn't been warned by his ever-present ANBU guards and had they been neutralized without his notice he likely would have met the same fate.)<p>

"Ah, Kakashi. What a pleasant and unexpected surprise to see you visit this particular onsen at the same time as me." The old mans eyes twinkled as his voice lilted playfully.

'Hn.' Was the only reply followed by a torpid plunge under the water.

Hiruzen lounged back as he looked at the sky to see just how long he had nodded off for. '_Huh, guess I really did need this_'. The other pleasant surprise was that the headache had quietly sought prey elsewhere.

Several minutes passed as a cool breeze from the West further alleviated the constant pain in his head and the stars shone through the vestiges of the indigo skies. '_The only thing that could make this better_' Hiruzen stopped that thought and sighed as his mind automatically supplied the answer he hadn't been looking for, '_would be Biwako sharing the view._'

A spike of silver hair eventually poked out of the water, joined by the head it was attached to. As lazy as could be Kakashi looked around the onsen and spoke, as if to no one in particular, "I was walking down the path of life when a decrepit old monkey hobbled in front of me. I noticed he was going in circles so I decided to accompany him for a while."

Kakashi looked around. "Sadly I lost him just outside but," he paused briefly and shrugged "I thought I might as well enjoy a moment of quiet reading where life's path took me."

The young man brought his hand out of the water and in front of his face-miraculously holding a completely dry book.

As an afterthought he muttered through his book, "What a pleasant and unexpected surprise to see you here just when I lost the old monkey."

Ok, a smidge of decorum wouldn't go completely amiss from such a young man towards a respected, elderly and wise man such as himself. A touch of respect from an underling to one's Hokage!

Sarutobi Hiruzen stared at the Hatake, "You…" he stopped and his face showed that of a stricken man. Kakashi continued to read his blue covered book before slowly turning a page. "have Ichi Ichi Pooltime?"

"Hn."

Hiruzen wove his stratagem quickly, "That is an adult only book, it'd be best if you hand it over."

"Hn." Kakashi lazily pointed with his second hand at the Hitai-ate above his cloth mask. Both also completely dry.

Hiruzen switched his tactic, "Only 1,000 of those were printed. Where did you get that one?"

Kakashi looked over his book to glance at the old man. His eyes wandered up to look at the night skies. "Hmm." His hand scratched the back of his head as he yawned. He turned the cover to face him as if to review just which book he was holding.

… … "Hn" …

Sarutobi very slowly and very deliberately formed a Tiger seal before clapping both hands palm down onto the water.

Kakashi turned a page before his voice drifted indolently against the wind, "I seem to recall finding a blue book somewhere on Ibiki's desk. It had a little bit of blood on it."

"You just...found it?"

Kakashi shrugged, "He had just gone through a courier pouch and said he was just going to throw it all in the trash."

"He was going to...throw it in the...trash?"

The pup looked up from his book as he commented, "Odd, Bat on duty tonight?"

The Hokage looked at Kakashi in surprise at the sudden change of topic. "Um, no?"

"Oh, I thought I heard an echo out here."

The old man started to mutter under his breath. Kakashi paid careful heed not to upset the old man by pointing out that he was talking to himself-he was, after all, respected, elderly and wise.

After a few minutes of 'Ibiki' and 'gate duty' or 'Pup' and 'kennels' the Hokage chuckled, sighed and finally looked sadly towards Kakashi.

"Thanks for the laugh, it really is refreshing to talk to someone who doesn't always cater to my position. I think I needed some comedy today." Hiruzen looked wistfully at the stars in the sky and took a deep breath. Surprisingly, the fragrance from a bouquet of loquat flowers drifted past his nose. Taking another deep breath of the perfume he sent a quick prayer to his beloved.

"Kakashi," he started "I would like to ask you something."

The younger man looked up at his superior, recognizing the change in tone.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want, but I can't think of many left who are both able and willing to be a sounding board for my current dilemma." Hiruzen gathered his thoughts, trying to figure out how to broach the subject with as little pain as possible.

Ok, that was an impossibility so he'd better get on with it and ask or withdraw completely.

"When Sakumo died..." He started over, "When your father died you were barely older than a baby." Hiruzen's voice trembled and almost broke, "But we needed raw talent, a little more power on the battlefield and there you were. The shockingly unexpected weapon in the street child or goose herder. A perfectly rigid tool-obedience first! Mission first!"

Kakashi didn't need to see the tears falling down the Hokage's face. He had lived that life. He hadn't asked for commiseration and, quite frankly, didn't want to hear it from others. He had lived his life and made, if not as many mistakes as his father or the Hokage and various other superiors in his life, his fair share of mistakes he would have to live with for the rest of his own life. He was more than capable of pitying himself for himself thank you very much.

Meanwhile, now that the Hokage had put into words something he knew to be fact, he resolved that Naruto would _not_ be entering Root regardless of the circumstances. Quite frankly he knew Biwako would try to figure out how to incorporate Root into ANBU or something similar and he determined to look into the matter himself.

"Anyways, what I want to ask you. What I want to know… If there were another you and you could decide what that person's childhood would be like, how would you want to live?"

Kakashi didn't move a muscle in his face. He simply closed the book and slid it under the water.

(The ANBU on guard, Otter, while diligently committing the conversation to the non-accessible classified section of her brain set up by Inoshi, decided she really needed to learn that trick.)

After a minute he looked at his Hokage and nodded, "Naruto?" he stated.

Hiruzen nodded, "Naruto." Seriously, he wasn't quite sure why he didn't simply promote Kakashi to Hokage. He was certainly able to decipher and discard various hypothesis fast enough to find the common denominator. And he was both fast and strong for his age. But he had also just stated that Konoha had basically taken everything from Kakashi and made him a tool. Hokage, more than any other job, completely removes any concept of 'self'.

A thought randomly popped into his mind as he waited for Kakashi to make his decision. _As soon as we find him a stable, sensible (and stubborn) wife I can make him Hokage._ Yep, that would do… now who could he set the kid up with? His own face outwardly remained melancholy.

"A child." Hiruzen looked at Kakashi hoping for a bit more.

"Oh, I would have wanted to grow up to be a ninja. But it should have been an aspiration, not something I was living out elbow deep in blood." His voice was thick with disgust despite an attempt to stay calm and civil.

"It depends on the kid, but maybe a father or uncle or older brother...he still has a mother he won't want to feel he's 'replacing'. Minato," he paused, "Minato was enough most of the time."

Kakashi forged his way out of the onsen and started to dry himself off. "Maybe some friends? 'Teammates' weren't enough for the rigid bastard I was...am."

Kakashi stepped inside for a quick scrub down but called back casually, as if the subject were simply a matter of 'what do you want for dinner tomorrow', "I'll think a bit more on the subject."

The old man nodded briefly at the now empty doorway and with one last glance at the stars decided it was time for him to soap and rinse himself before heading home.

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><p>That night a figure of a teenager could be seen, asleep or possibly meditating in front of the memorial stone until the sun broke over the horizon.<p>

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><p>Another man sat in a rocking chair in front of the shrine of his wife, finally falling asleep. Otter quietly pulled a blanket over top of him and went back to guard duty.<p>

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><p>Authors Notes:<p>

A warning and invitation-This is an alternate or parallel universe to Naruto. If you want to read Naruto try the Manga. I wish to explore the Elemental Nations (starting with Naruto) in a way that interests me and hopefully you will also enjoy the ride! If things are different than you expect I hopefully have done so for a reason. In any case, who wants to read the same story everytime?


	2. Chapter 2

The Hokage had spent the last two days working through a particularly tricky piece of business involving a three-way trade agreement. Annoying as it was, this was the main reason Hiruzen continued to wear the hat rather than stepping down for a younger leader.

Konoha was considered to be one of the strongest shinobi villages for a reason. In the past ten years Sarutobi Hiruzen could probably name ten shinobi that were powerful enough to become a hokage. Sadly, that number had shrunk drastically, but the younger generation was also proving to have a number of promising careers.

With the trade agreement all but a formality at this point, Hiruzen's mind wandered towards the more esoteric side of his job.

The main issue was that most shinobi didn't think of the hidden villages as an overly large, diversified business. Hiruzen was experienced and learned in history enough to understand the roles a hidden village could take in society.

Assuming the shinobi forces worked the same way as the Daimyo's legion or war conscripts was a mistake of many nobles and quite a few shinobi.

The hidden villages worked independently of the Daimyo and were paid for each job accomplished. They were technically under his authority and, indeed, many of the jobs they procured came through the patronage of the Daimyo, nobles and merchants of the land. But as long as they had work to do they could operate at full capacity.

Therein lay the problem.

The costs of running a hidden village was astronomical. True, the pay was quite good-an 'A-rank' assassination mission brought in quite a chunk of money-but there were only so many people who would pay for them (and the ones actually willing to pay for them were often the target-not exactly reliable revenue long-term.)

Likewise banditry had been extremely prolific when Hiruzen was younger but bandits were now mostly only found in places not profitable for the Daimyo or Kage to deal with unless specifically paid to do so. Escort missions for the rich and famous, along with trade caravans provided a solid living-but only for those directly involved.

The backing of wars, civil or otherwise, provided a reasonable income in money (as well as the spoils of war) but Konoha was generally picky about wars. They tended to backfire spectacularly no matter which side you picked-not to mention the ethical question.

There was a growing movement among the younger court members to do away with the hidden villages altogether as 'outdated'.

Considering the work Hiruzen had to do to keep Konoha running smoothly, he would be very interested to see how those same courtiers intended to keep patrols running on the borders.

Were the Shinobi of Konoha forced to disband for want of money (for any number of reasons), the Land of Fire could be quickly overwhelmed by its covetous neighbours. The Daimyo's Legion was pretty enough and even had a few good officers trained in the Samurai and Shinobi arts but they would never be able to hold their own against a determined and much larger military force. In a nation as large and rich as the Land of Fire even the price of warding off opportunistic raiders would be extremely taxing.

So Hiruzen waited till he could train someone who was capable in politics, economics, and strong enough to persuade the Land of Fire's neighbours that it simply wasn't worth the effort.

If he had allowed someone like Danzo, Orochimaru or Fugaku to run the village it would likely collapse in on itself until the Shinobi force consumed the land in a military take-over. The ninja clearly had the strength to take whatever they needed whenever the wanted. Of course, the result would be a nation living in constant fear; a struggle for power in political and clan wars. A good example would be what was happening in the Land of Waters.

To be sure, the land would be extremely strong-but also quite brittle.

The only other person he thought was currently able to handle the job in all its intricacies without training now that Tsunade had abandoned Konoha was Utatane Koharu but she was as old as he was (and didn't have the international infamy he did.)

All this meant the Hokage had to be quite inventive in order to keep everything in working order or simply work tediously through all the blasted bureaucracy. So he was finally finishing what should be a relaxing tea ceremony that was, in actually, a display of subtle political posturing…

Basically bullshit.

Putting down his teacup Sarutobi smiled at the economic envoy of 'his Daimyo' and the Agricultural Envoy from the Land of Rice before he politely excused himself.

"I'm glad we could all come to a mutual agreement," the Hokage said to them, more happy to have the ordeal over with than anything, "You can expect several of our Akimichi to assist starting within the next month. I'm sorry to cut this short but I really must get back to work on some other pressing business."

'_Like visiting my lovely daughter-in-law'_ he thought, '_She really is blossoming as an expectant mother'_.

He smiled inwardly to himself at the thought of soon becoming a grandfather, but they needn't know that. He was the one, after all, beneficently doing them the service-or that was the picture the Hokage had painted over the past two days.

"Of course Lord Hokage." They both returned his slight bow before he patronized them with one last smile and left the room with an inward groan.

* * *

><p>That one piece of business had taken all of yesterday and much of today, but, glancing at the clock, he knew he should work a little more before actually going to relax with his family.<p>

Well, he was supposed to be the strongest Shinobi in the village and he was all tense from that tedious negotiation. He tried to get in at least several hours of sparring a week and now was as good a time as any. He would just call it work! He immediately started to relax at the thought.

The transition from Lord Hokage to the 'Shinobi Kami' was efficient. Sarutobi Hiruzen was always more than capable of defending himself but often forewent carrying an arsenal around with him everywhere for the duties that generally required a pen rather than shuriken. Now, however, he fully intended to enjoy himself.

Underneath the stately Haori and Kimono a loose onyx silk shirt and pants gleamed in that peculiar fashion only black could achieve. The material itself was strong armor, particularly against elemental damage as it was crafted by a corroboration between the Aburame and Hyuuga clans, but metal plates further protected the shoulders and shins from physical strikes. A black hood with a chain plate neckguard soon replaced the Hokage's hat while a verdigris steel gauntlet covered his right hand and arm. This last piece was for protection while wielding Monkey King Enma in his Staff form. Never particularly fond of Kunai or bladed weapons, the final touch was placing a pouch of shuriken and paper tags over his shoulder.

Generally speaking, it was considered polite to ignore the ANBU guards during business hours. Visiting clients and dignitaries could assume all transactions would be classified and, indeed, were an ANBU to fail in this duty they would be punished severely. Yamanaka Inoshi's brilliant mind partition jutsu assisted with that even under duress. But Hiruzen prefered not to stand on ceremony with his subordinates whenever possible.

"The leaves seem eager to dance in the wind tonight, eh my young friends?"

Chimera on the other hand was a little more proper and straight to the point, "A spar would do you well."

"Are you saying I'm old?" … "or weak?" Hiruzen inquired haughtily and a held back smile.

"Old? Yes. Weak?" Chimera appeared to think for longer than necessary.

"Bah," the Hokage huffed and snorted slightly as he opened a window "Let's see you keep up!" As an afterthought, in honour of his soon to be first grandson, "Last one to Training Ground 44.5 is a bat without knowledge of birds!"

Having said that the Hokage stepped up to the window sill and took off with a speed that was truly hard to rival.

Dog looked quizzical but filed the saying into his own repertoire before following at a reasonable fast pace. Even he couldn't get away with being too lazy while actually on the job.

Chimera rolled his mismatched eyes and thought about going out the door like a dignified person, but duty was more important even if the Hokage could generally take care of himself.

Upon arriving at the training ground he noticed his Hokage was casually leaning against a tree. He carefully 'ignored' that Sarutobi was clearly trying not to breath hard.

Somewhat surprisingly, it was Otter that came into the grounds next, "All clear." She looked at the two men in supposed innocence before adding, "Although the wind noticeably picked up when the Hokage arrived and blew away the playful butterflies."

Otter was inarguably the weakest of the Hokage's guards but her speed and medical jutsu saw her as one of his few permanent fixtures. She also had a few impish tricks up her sleeves for either flight or fight.

Dog appeared only a couple seconds later walking around a tree with his hands in his pockets. He looked around, "I guess I'm the bat… but at least I'm not an old bat."

'I am not that old' Hiruzen muttered slightly petulantly.

Between the three Chimera was probably the closest match-up for Hiruzen in terms of power and experience but he was hoping Kakashi would become the next Hokage within 5-8 years with the proper training. He just needed to stabilize… '_and find a wife_' he added. Even Chimera and Dog combined he thought he could still beat without the assistance of the Monkey King. But he wanted to enjoy himself and loosen up his muscles and mind, not work himself into exhaustion.

"Ok. I think a couple rounds of Mushi-ken sounds perfect for today. Care to join me Dog?"

Mushi-ken was one of the least prefered forms of sparing amongst the younger Shinobi but it was Hiruzen's favored sparing method-it was the best learning tool to find weaknesses and improve strengths.

The basis of the spar was similar to "Frog, Slug, Snake" (i.e. 'Mushi-ken') in that each contestant would pick a single discipline they were allowed to fight in while every other discipline was limited to Genin levels. Neither contestant would know what their opponent chose until after the fight began (assuming they weren't tricked). The general assumption was that NinjutsuTaijutsuGenjutsuNinjutsu. Of course, this was only in theory.

Chimera continued to observe his surroundings while the two contestants prepared. Training Ground 44.5 was located in the middle of the Forest of Death and enveloped in a permanent environmental Genjutsu that the Second Lord Hokage had developed. It was also the exclusive training ground for the Hokage to spar in but it never hurt to be careful.

Otter threw a flash pellet between Dog and the Hokage to signal the beginning of the fight. The two men immediately...slowly meandered away from one-another.

The reason why Mushi-ken wasn't popular with younger shinobi was that they depended too heavily on boosting their speed and strength or using techniques like the Body Flicker. Genin could boost their speed and strength a little but not to the extent that they would be able to keep up with someone with Jounin boosted speed. If someone chose Taijutsu you would have to be inventive to not get plastered by their superior speed and power-and you couldn't just Body Flicker out of the way either (For the sake of Mushi-ken that was generally part of the Taijutsu discipline).

Dog had chosen Ninjutsu as primary. This was the obvious choice for someone like him, but without speed and accuracy his best jutsu was extremely limited (besides the fact that it was designed to kill and this was a spar).

He released the lightning net he had prepared in case the Opponent turned out to be faster than his own speed would allow. '_Opponent appears to be nuanced rather than power-driven_'. Dog reached for a kunai and flung it at his opponent to test for an opening. Without fully boosting, the force of the kunai wasn't quite enough to force it to show what kind of power it possessed.

'_Information first and then strategize.'_ To that end he threw a battery of shuriken, which were dodged, and performed a quick Substitution Jutsu into the trees.

Dog chose to create a Shadow Clone. If dispelled this would give his Opponent knowledge. That just meant he had to act quickly to gain more information first and act before Opponent was able to properly gauge his own power.

Dog quickly ran through the seals before handing his newly formed Shadow Self some additional shuriken. While Shadow Self had his own Shadow shuriken, they tended to dispel or not do as much damage as desired at the worst possible moments-and the real thing wouldn't give away as much information.

Doggie smiled as he prepared the trap against Opponent. Stepping back out of the trees he saw it smiling kindly back at him. Doggie wasn't that easy to deceive. But he had his own plan to see through and so he took out another battery of shuriken and flung them at it.

Opponent's eyes widened in surprise as the three shuriken headed towards him multiplied into thirty. Wires running between them would make it almost impossible to dodge completely and Doggie smiled wickedly back at opponent from behind his mask.

Suddenly Opponent went through a half-dozen hand seals itself and slapped the ground. A wall of earth shot up to protect it and the three shuriken lodged themselves harmlessly into the loam while the slight genjutsu fell apart.

_Opponent can use mid-level earth jutsu, probable mid-range offensive ninjutsu with strong ninjutsu defense._ Doggie smiled. With the use of a simple Genjutsu rather than Mass Shadow Clone Shuriken his opponent was likely still low on information concerning his own skills.

Dog nodded to himself, coordinating the illusion from a distance with his Shadow Clone hadn't been as easy as he had hoped, but the fake wires and misdirection would hopefully be worth it in the end. Slipping down from the tree he quietly and smoothly sunk into the earth.

Doggie was starting to be hard pressed as Opponent ran through another set of hand seals and a fireball exploded right where he had been. Throwing his last set of shuriken he started on a Substitution back into the trees. Doggie smiled as a flurry of fireballs honed in on him. Grinning he took just enough time to get hit by the first of the fireballs and exploded.

Dog was ready. Immediately upon Shadow Clones dispelling he popped his head out of the ground right behind Opponent and slapped a Lightning Prison into place utilizing his shuriken that were happily placed ever so 'randomly'.

… Nothing happened.

'_Shit_.' '_Back to the trees and start over_.' Going for a quick Substitution Jutsu, Dog decided he needed to revise his strategy.

… Except he wasn't in the trees. He was still stuck in the ground with his head, shoulders and arms sticking out. Dogs eye watched as Opponent slowly knelt in front of him, took an explosive tag and then, with an obvious twitch of its head to the side and a finger tapping its lips, four more explosive tags and ever so slowly reached out to place them on his mask.

"I yield." The entirety of the fight took less than five minutes.

Hiruzen smiled and removed the six tags from him.

'_Wait, six?'_

Hiruzen put the five explosive tags back into his pouch before tossing the sixth one to Dog.

"A Chakra Suppression Seal?" Dog hadn't expected the Hokage to cheat and frowned a bit. That wasn't the point of Mushi-ken.

"Indeed. And I presume to think that you specialized in Ninjutsu? I gambled a bit on that and you threw me for a scare with your little double misdirection." Hiruzen grinned at Dog, "You seem to still be confused though?"

"Chakra Suppression is hardly Genin level."

"You speak the truth."

"But neither is the Fireball or Earth Wall."

Hiruzen nodded and waited for Dog to finish his thought process. After a couple seconds he reached out and grabbed another tag off the earth wall still guarding him. It slowly started to collapse in on itself as he handed the second tag to Dog.

"You…" Dog thought for a moment before putting the pieces together. "You weren't specialized in Ninjutsu but Fuinjutsu."

A stress-free laugh burst from Hiruzen. This is what he was best at and enjoyed most, teaching-not legislature or business. "There are many disciplines in the Ninja world. It can be a fatal mistake to assume your opponent will use a standardized playbook. Have you figured out the Fireballs yet?"

Dog actually had now that he knew what to look for. The hand seals hadn't been simple misinformation, Sarutobi had used a low-rank flame jutsu to direct the Fuinjutsu blasts towards his Shadow Clone. Even fire prefered to follow the easiest path and join together with the smallest flame if given a chance. The Hokage had probably come up with that idea thanks to his ideology. It was brilliant really.

The start of his own plan started to take form. Mushi-ken suddenly seemed like a much more interesting form of sparring.

"Care to go again?"

"I'm always ready to teach a young pup like you." Was the quick and hearty reply.

Otter once more started the spar by tossing a pellet between the two adversaries. This time a shower of earth shot up between them, briefly obscuring their vision. She had quite enjoyed watching the last spar and was looking forward to how this next fight would pan out.

It looked like Dog had chosen Ninjutsu again as he immediately sunk into the ground and disappeared. The kid was talented, his fighting ability was certainly well beyond her own, but he tended to fixate on particulars a bit too much.

The Hokage, meanwhile, had smiled and walked quietly over to the trees before he faded out of sight.

As fun as the first fight had been to watch: Probes, deception, counter-deception, attacks and well-executed maneuvers, the second fight had a very slow build up.

Fifteen minutes passed without a sign of either combatant; enough time to have finished the first spar five times over. Wanting to make sure nothing was amiss Otter checked in with Chimera after insuring she wasn't trapped in any kind of Genjutsu.

Otter was a reasonable sensor but right now Chimera had the task of insuring that no one would surprise them out here-After the Fourth had died he was likely the strongest sensor in Konoha. She hoped Chimera would know what was happening at least because right now Otter couldn't tell what either combatant was doing.

Her captain returned an 'all-clear' to her. Well, she might as well settle down and see if there was anything to spot… Chimera seemed to notice her restlessness as he soon sent her another quick message. 'Dog: Earth, Trap, Wires.' followed shortly by 'Third' there was a pause before he tapped out '? Genjutsu Large Weave.'

Interesting. Normally the rules wouldn't allow for a combatant to use both mid level earth Ninjutsu along with paper tags and wire techniques. Otter thought it over and grinned, entirely to mischievously! Perhaps she had underestimated Dog… and oh! she was going to have _fun_ the next time she sparred.

Lord Hokage had used Fuinjutsu in the last battle, not exactly a common discipline for Shinobi, but it looked like Dog was returning the favour by choosing Trapping. This gave him the ability to use various ninjutsu, fuinjutsu and wire techniques (or anything else he could, on a technicality, consider to be part of his 'trapping discipline'.)

Otter was on the Hokage detail primarily for her healing skills. It took a lot of discipline to become as skilled as she was but discipline wasn't precisely Otter's forte. So… she had hoarded her impish behaviour and invested it in the art of trapping. Her curiosity in chemistry had also pushed past traditional soldier pills and other medical paraphernalia into a large variety of pellets. Given her speed, a sling and everything from flash-bangs to ice landscaping™ pellets she could generally distract, avoid and eventually flee with any casualties her team might have acquired until the heavier hitters were recovered.

Now that she knew what to look for Otter was quite a bit more excited with this bout than the previous one. Dog had likely not reckoned on a passive opponent such as a Genjutsu artist. This spar would come down to one of two things: patience or ingenuity.

Trap kits were, of course, studied and deployed as early as the academy; That's kind of like saying Shinobi learn Ninjutsu in the academy. Such kits generally were reduced to: 'string wire between trees in this pattern', 'attach Security Tag: Perimeter Breach to outer perimeter wire' and 'insure that wire does not reflect light at any point'. Ambitious Genin might even add an explosive tag along the most likely trajectory of their foe. The kits worked well enough for camps in friendly territory when facing wild animals and potential bandits.

Trapping was as diverse a discipline as you could find, and its specialists a jealous lot. In Konoha the Nara and Yamanaka often had a couple specialists in each generation. Truthfully it was astounding that the Nara were still as effective as they were, clearly a testament to their intellect and problem solving.

Opponent A: "Oh look, a Nara." A quick check in the bingo book later, "Watch out for his shadow."  
>Generic Nara A: "Shit, they just figured out 100% of my abilities."<br>Generic Nara A (10 seconds later) … "Gurgle, tell . my . wife . I . . I … Gurgle . ."

Otter giggled to herself at the mental picture of a Nara getting grazed in the arm by a thrown Kunai and promptly grabbing a prepared bag of blood and bursting it open over their heart before finally swooning theatrically clutching at their chest. The scene diverged into two parts, in the first the Nara would wait till the opponent approached and he could snare them in shadow. The second scene showed the Nara simply waiting several minutes, opening one eye to peek around before getting up, changing shirts and walking to the nearest spa.

Refocusing on the spar at hand the problem Otter saw was that, as diverse as the actual traps might be, Trapping itself almost always was used for one of three functions: Securing a perimeter, stalling an enemy or ambushing an enemy. There was a reason Trap specialists did not actually participate in open battle if at all possible.

Securing a perimeter meant you were working in a set location with time to deploy your defenses as you saw fit and force the enemy to come to you. Stalling an enemy generally meant your enemy was moving towards their goal and must travel through your traps while you slowly fell back and hoped for a victory of attrition or reinforcements arrived before you were overwhelmed. Finally, ambushing an enemy also had a moving enemy to surprise and butcher.

Kakashi had to approach a non-moving target who had prior knowledge of an imminent adversary.

First, Kakashi had access to the escape routes Lord Hokage would use. Trap those locations and slowly constrict inwards like a snake with a mouse? Perhaps lure him out with a driving offensive spectacle.

Or one of weakness? A favorite of Otter's was a combination of being that irritant that just won't go away despite being so small it should be easily removed. (Assailants of the Lord Hokage were most likely to be extremely strong but also incredibly arrogant. Otter couldn't combat the strength, but she would certainly take advantage of their arrogance.)

She also didn't tend to be the stereotypical empathic healer when it came to patients. It was much more fun to prod and poke them; it had the added bonus of generally lightening the mood.

Nonetheless, while Otter was enjoying thinking of how she might use Trapping in her next spar or three, her excitement for this particular spar was diminishing once again. Ingenuity and patience were all well and good but so was being able to see, hear and feel what was happening in a spar. Otter wanted her money back.

Minutes rolled by and evidently someone else was getting impatient as well. A small plume of smoke started to rise from the western corner of the field. Lord Hokage had walked into the woods to the north and faded from view. Now he lay next to a fire, enjoying the last of the waning sun on face.

Otter sniffed.

Yakitori! The smell of sweet onion coupled with dark honey and mirin intermingled with the poultry that was plainly visible over the small flame. Lord Hokage leisurely turned a couple skewers before laying back down.

It was getting late, around dinner time really. Otter was hungry. Sighing she put her hands together and quietly murmured "Genjutsu: Dissipation".

Well, that was better. Otter had been trained somewhat ruthlessly in removing genjutsu before joining the ANBU Hokage Detachment. There was the field, clear except for the Hokage lounging in the west with a ... fire and … Yakitori plainly wafting to her nose.

Ok then.

There's that.

Added to the sweet, sweet smell a pleasant voice joined the air, "Otter, I hope you're hungry. I had hoped to enjoy a quiet dinner with Dog this fine evening but he seems to be surprisingly late."

Otter peered dubiously at the Hokage from her tree. She could just make out a slight pout on his face before it turned to concern, "This has never happened before. Dog is always so prompt! I do hope he's ok."

The invitation seemed genuine enough. And if Lord Hokage chose ingenuity to win his spar, who was she to argue?

Lord Hokage placed two Mochi balls on a flat rock next to the fire.

Yep, Otter would not only gladly obey her Hokage's commands but even his suggestions were as law to her! (That was, until his next medical appointment. Then his pleading and demands were worth as much as gold coins in front of a cat.)

Jumping down from her tree (keeping a lookout for any traps Kakashi may have lying around) Otter casually walked over to the fire and sat down, turning the skewers as she did so.

Neither of them really talked, just enjoyed the suns warmth on their faces. Training Ground 44.5 was one of the few places in the Forest of Death with a (mostly) clear view of the sky. While the meat sizzled and glazed over with sweet temptation, the pair watched the clouds take on the barest tinge of azure slate that only occurs as the light starts to fade. A few yellows and oranges were highlighted by the darker indigo beyond the clouds and lighter cerulean below. Dog seemed forgotten as the shadows started to stretch from the monstrous trees and with it the coolness of early winter.

That was ok though, the Yakitori was perfectly cooked and the fire felt as good as the sun in it's own way.

Lord Hokage handed Otter a skewer and took one for himself after placing the remaining three (Otter briefly glimpsed the Hokage flash a sign, 'Chimera' she guessed)...two skewers (huh, Chimera had some skill!) on the rock with the Mochi.

With a contented sigh, L…

"Lord Hokage!"

Otter felt a Genjutsu blanket the area around them for a miniscule second before it lifted again.

With a malcontent sigh Lord Hokage grumbled, "Is there some urgent matter of historic proportions that needs my attention Pika?"

Sarutobi Hiruzen was well known for trying to know all his subordinates. However, if there was one ANBU he disliked the most it was surely Pika. The man himself was likely a fine enough fellow-if you stuffed him in an archive and told him that _he_ had to do all the paperwork for the Hokage! But no… he always had to make sure everything was done properly and in order and by the proper people-no forged signatures while he was on duty!

Not catching onto the dry non-sarcastic! tone of voice Pika nodded emphatically, "Yes Lord Hokage, the Agricultural Envoy from the Land of Rieeek!"

Suddenly Pika's feet went flying out from under him. A shriek of wires buzzed together as they swiftly engulfed the poor man.

Phlumf! He was bodily sucked into the earth, wires and all.

Otter stared as a single sandal ludicrously arced into the air where it had slipped off Pika's foot. She cocked her head to the side, shrugged and took a bite from her Yakitori.

Lord Hokage was a superb cook! who knew?

The hiss of a flame being extinguished behind her was shortly accompanied by two hands slapping the ground.

Pika slowly came into view, bobbing back and forth while hyperventilating.

"Go ahead and finish the Yakitori, it's the end of your shift anyway. Pika can accompany me back with Chimera."

The Lord Hokage got up with an additional hiss of joint pain catching up after the fun of being in the field for a half-hour.

Dog wandered into the field before sitting down next to the extinguished fire and grabbing one of the skewers, "I was distracted by a bird fluttering through the trees sweetly singing her song. Did I win?"

He looked expectantly around him as he took a bite. "Woah, this is really good!"

Otter stifled a laugh, "Only if your opponent was Pika."

"Ah, out of curiosity, what discipline did you choose Lord Hokage?" The words were called out as Chimera joined the Hokage and Pika to return to Konoha.

The black form of the strongest fighter throughout the Elemental Nations turned around, "Genjutsu. And you chos…"

Dog interrupted with a thoughtful "Oh."

He scratched his head and looked at the sharp lines dug into the ground throughout the field by his wires.

"But wasn't that a B-rank earth jutsu you just used?"

A suspicious "Yes?" drawled out.

Dog nodded his head and took a bite from the skewered meat. Almost as an afterthought he called out, "Yo, Pika."

The smaller form of Pika turned around with some trepidation.

"I'm sorry, I seemed to have given you the wrong impression. I guess you thought I said that he required the Lord Hokage's presence to ratify some . . thing or other on those papers? I meant to say that he left some hours ago back to the Land of Rice and to give his thanks to the Lord Hokage."

Everyone except Chimera turned to stare at Dog.

"What?" He waved his arm backwards in a haphazard motion, "Bird...fluttering…" he mumbled before grabbing the last skewer on the rock and turning to Otter, "This really is good! Did you cook it?" The question was asked with the most casual and naive yet boyish excitement imaginable.

A growl harmonizing from two throats joined together from the Lord Hokage and Pika, one pranced indignantly away back to his desk while the other walked irately back towards Kakashi and Otter, grabbed both Mochi balls and marched away.

Popping the last bite of meat into his mouth Dog tossed the skewer next to the watered ashes of the fire and stretched. "Guess I won,... using both Genjutsu and Ninjutsu as a discipline" he tsked. "What are those cute kids thinking nowadays."

Without turning around a barked rumble emanated from the retreating Lord Hokage, "I would like to...talk…with you tonight Dog. I believe we have some matters to discuss."

Owl and Bear quietly appeared and joined Chimera to accompany the Hokage.

Otter grinned, "Well, shifts over. I think _I'll_", she emphasized the word, "go and relax tonight. Be sure to tell me all about your delightful evening with the Shinobi Kami tomorrow!"

* * *

><p>A smile graced the face of Hiruzen as he boiled water for his tea. His daughter-in-law had just finished making dinner when he stopped by earlier and offered him a spot at her table. Freshly cooked chikura with hijiki and fish was easily enticing enough for Hiruzen to not even pretend to politely decline.<p>

Visiting Sasuke and Akarui was always a pleasure to Hiruzen. He really couldn't ask for a better wife for his eldest son and the two helped rejuvenate him: mind, body and soul. While Sasuke was already out-classed as a Shinobi by his younger brother, Sasuke's dedication had always veered away from fighting and more towards reconciliation and diplomacy.

Akarui was the eldest daughter of a minor noble family from the capital. She was quite proper and yet still managed to work with both the young and poor with amazing rapport.

The two were often seen travelling to some of the outlying regions of the Fire Nation in order to help those in need. That was on hold for the time being, however, as Akarui had been quite sick early in her pregnancy.

Hiruzen was happy to note that she was looking much better and the couple glowed with excitement whenever they looked at each other and the child growing inside her womb.

Finally the water was boiling (despite him watching it, he noted) and he brought out a cup, than a second, and poured the water over some oolong tea. He added a dash of shochu to one cup.

A quiet "Oi!" saw him adding some of the alcohol to the second cup as well.

"I would like to see my first grandchild before you give me a heart-attack Kakashi."

The silver-haired teen shrugged and with a slight bow took the second cup of tea.

Kakashi took a sip of the spiked tea, "The door was open and I couldn't deny my host the pleasure of having tea with me."

Hiruzen sat down in a wooden rocking chair Asuma had made him for his retirement party. It had been a bit of a joke at the time but the chair was sturdy, well made and quite comfortable.

The older man proceeded to morph his face into slight incredulity, "I believe the door was closed. And locked. And quite possibly had a security tag on it."

"Hn."

"I believe a long mission away from Konoha might do me some good, barring that as a possibility I suppose I might have to send you away instead." A quick quirk of the lips and faked exasperated snort proceeded, "We are seeing each other altogether too much recently!"

Kakashi shrugged in nonchalance.

Hiruzen decided to up his game, "There has been some intrigue in the capital amongst the younger courtesans. I think a young noble couple would be able to garner some gossip...perhaps honeymooners visiting the big capital?"

Kakashi blithely continued to sip his tea, but Sarutobi Hiruzen was better and noticed the slight panic etching itself onto his face.

"Who would make a good companion for you." Hiruzen pretended to look Kakashi over in detail. "Silver hair. Perhaps a bright green? No… Red?"

Kakashi's hand faltered for a nano-second

"Yes, red hair would compliment your silver hair perfectly. Of course we'd have to get rid of your mask and hitai-ate. An eye-patch might be a little too dashing, perhaps some scholarly spectacles and some colored contact lens. Perhaps some lengthy bibliographies for reading?"

Hiruzen paused, as if to really think on a problem.

"If you are the scholar we'd have to have an . . out-going wife to compliment you." He paused again, "Aha!"

The older man started rocking in his chair as he 'thought' long and hard over any possible issues, "Red hair, check. Vivacious personality, check. Pretty enough for young Kakashi,... hmm, not quite right. Elegant enough for young Kakashi, check. Someone enamored by good gossip, check."

Hiruzen smiled happily at Kakashi as if he had come up with the perfect solution and was sure Kakashi would absolutely agree. "Iburi Kazan, it would almost be like a vacation for you two."

Kakashi's perfectly stoic face looked into his finished tea cup before getting up and pouring some shochu straight into his empty cup. He wasn't panicking whatsoever. The Bloody Mist sounded like a great place to visit right about now though.

While Kakashi's mind was pre-occupied with increasingly horrifying visions, Sarutobi made a few signals to Owl. "Instruct Otter; Prank" he quickly added "Fun; Not Harass."

Hiruzen had already changed into a jimbei of muted browns, orange and black striations and felt quite relaxed joking with his subordinate. His stomach was comfortably full and the weather was refreshing.

With the brisk winter came the last of the crisp apples; an opportunity Hiruzen had taken advantage of.

"Pass over some apples would you Kakashi? Don't want them going to waste so help yourselves."

Truthfully Hiruzen was the host and every bit as close to the apples as Kakashi, but it was a good way to shift topics from the comedic to more serious affairs.

Kakashi courteously moved over to the counter and grabbed several apples. He thought about saying something cheeky but recognized the situation for what it was. Tossing one of the slightly wrinkled yellow apples to Hiruzen he comfortably sat in one of the nearby chairs.

Two additional apples disappeared from the bowl, Owl and Bear likely, while Hiruzen twisted to the side, moved his book aside (He still hadn't gotten around to reading _Dichotomy vs. Trichotomy: Physical, Spiritual and Natural Chakra_) and grabbed a crimson blanket to settle down for the evening.

First things first, Kakashi really had irked him a bit by interrupting his 'teaching' time and he fully wanted to rectify the matter.

"You fought well today out there."

Kakashi smirked a bit as he munched his apple. He had thought outside the box while staying within the rules, thus pleasing both sides of himself.

"I was very impressed with the first spar. You've started to make a habit of using the shadow clone for analyzing your opponent though. Between it and your sharingan you can learn much about how your enemy thinks and moves."

Sarutobi tossed a new bingo book to Kakashi, "It's generally better to be a master in a few skills than an expert in many, but it appears Dog has picked up certain reputations for his particular brand of foreplay, even if Kakashi hasn't yet."

Kakashi glanced at both his pages in the Bingo book. A shadow clone could kill, but against a skilled opponent it was highly unlikely. If they knew 'Dog' was likely to analyze the situation via a shadow clone they might purposefully skew the data.

He grimaced under his mask, _Like Lord Hokage had done_. Well, a lightning clone could make such thinking fatal if they underestimated it. He was more of a tracker and analyzer then a sensor or instinctive fighter. Minato had been the sensor on the team while Obito had been quite instinctual even without his Sharingan.

He'd have to think about new ways to analyze any strong opponents when he had some time.

Hiruzen wanted to know one more thing before they got down to business, "Did you really go all the way back to the office to draft Pika for your scheming?"

An angelic, guiltless face beamed back at him, "I didn't want Owl and Bear to be late for their shift, it would surely harm their reputations for professionalism. I just happened to see Pika on the way and passed on the rice guy's respects to you."

There were so many things wrong with that statement that Hiruzen didn't know where to begin. Apparently Bear (or Owl) had a ready answer on hand, however, as an apple core manifested itself from thin air and clubbed Kakashi on the side of the head.

Hiruzen placed his hand over his face, two fingers resting above his nose and right eye while his thumb rested against his cheek, and sighed. The hand shifted towards his temple and he rubbed gently at the small indentations in his skull.

'Why?' he muttered to himself as if that one word encompassed his whole life.

Kakashi cheerfully answered the rhetorically question "Promptness and courteousness can ever only help."

Huh? The answer was so incongruous of Kakashi and the current situation that Hiruzen's mind couldn't quite figure out what to do with it; unless he placed it against Kakashi's previous statement and his own question-as if the two had anything to do with each other.

Technically they did. Just not…

Hiruzen rubbed a little more vigorously at his temple and wondered if sake or willow tea would be more appropriate.

"True?" Forefinger and thumb pinched his nose.

An awkward silence followed as Kakashi perused the new black markets '_Bounty Bingo Book_' and Hiruzen delayed having the conversation that would likely be a painful reminder of horrible, as well as pleasant, events in both their pasts.

Getting right to the point… had never been Hiruzen's strength. Lord Hokage Senju Tobirama had been all about business; He looked at what needed to be done and got it done. Danzo was very similar in that regard as had Biwako been.

Idealism and vision were his strengths, which is why he had assets: Danzo for his unequivocal Konoha-first stance; Homura for his efficient solutions; Koharu for her patience and subtlety; and finally Biwako.

Biwako had been the glue to incorporate everything together. She knew what Hiruzen's vision for Konoha was and learned over their long marriage to understand _what_ he needed and _why_. It was she who had the acumen to incorporate patience, efficiency and strength together with vision. During meetings she would humbly listen and not say anything. In private the two would discuss and argue endlessly-until they came to a conclusion that _worked!_

How he missed her loud, stubborn voice. She hated being humble in those meetings and she let him know it at home.

In this situation, she would have meekly offered to get Kakashi some more tea while she would somehow broach the subject of his childhood and Konoha's child care, or lack thereof, for orphans. (After the Copy-ninja left she would find some way to prove just how 'not meek!' she was, they would argue, find the perfect solution and finally… well. …)

The old man rocking in his chair started to turn as red as the blanket he was currently curled under.

"So. Kakashi." Skillful segue, "Have you had time to think about what could be done for Naruto?"

Well, at least he had gotten to the point (and potentially avoided having to talk about Sakumo and Kakashi's childhood.)

Kakashi nodded but chose to finish the entry he was currently reading.

The silver-haired teenager, quite frankly, reminded Hiruzen of Obito only rarely. He clearly tried to be late, gave bizarre excuses and had a brash attitude at times (somehow managing a cross-breed between an Uchiha's cool demeanor and an Inuzuka's tactless camaraderie) but it took a lot of effort on his part.

Kakashi was naturally extremely disciplined in body and mind, he became one of Hiruzen's top five picks for a successor (given time) because he worked hard from the time he was a child.

The Professor could see his potential and, despite some people's opinion on the matter, thought Kakashi still had a strong will of fire within him. So he waited on Kakashi, as he so often had to.

The new Bingo Book eventually slipped neatly into Kakashi's pouch and he looked up into the face of his superior.

"Naruto." he expertly threw his apple core into the trashcan. "I think I know what I would do and why we can't do what would be best, but to clarify" his eye bored into Sarutobi as his voice condensed, "let's go over the obvious options."

A simple nod accepted the slight rebuke.

"Adoption: Shinobi or Civilian?"

Hiruzen had argued with the Lord Hokage enough to answer that quickly, "There have been multiple inquiries by less than desirable 'parents'. To place Naruto in one clan or person's hands would cause division or even sedition."

A muttered 'politics' suddenly sounded much like a curse word on par with 'shit' or other undesirables.

"I don't think civilians would be able to handle the situation." The old man realized that saying 'the situation' sounded an awful lot like what Danzo or Homura might say and hated himself for it. "We'd still need to keep constant surveillance of at least a specialized Jounin on Naruto." He was about to hate himself even more for what he was about to say, "And Naruto must be trained as a Shinobi, he is Konoha's jinchuuriki."

The young man snorted, he had become a Shinobi with about as much say in the matter. He almost certainly would have anyways but that was hardly comforting when he couldn't sleep. "Legal Guardian is the same?"

A nod.

"What about apprentice then?"

"It would cause too much backstabbing and politics. And I have no one to apprentice him under."

"The Sannin are undesirable choices right now?" Kakashi asked rhetorically. "None of the clans or counsel due to… politics."

Silver hair flickered as Kakashi turned to think for a moment, "From what I've seen Naruto would not flourish in the Fire Temple?"

That was a new idea. "I can look into it. At least until he becomes a Genin."

"And yourself?"

The question of the hour. Minato had taken Kakashi as his own unofficial nephew. But Minato had not been Hokage at the time and Kakashi hadn't been nearly as politically important. Nonetheless, there would be no vocal outbursts if Sarutobi Hiruzen took Naruto as an apprentice.

"I", he paused. He thought about sugar-coating it, he had tried to do so when he and Jiraiya had argued. But right now why obscure the truth if they both knew it? He closed his eyes before looking right back at Kakashi, "I am Hokage. I am tired… and I am selfish. I would love to retire and take Naruto as my final apprentice. But who would become Hokage?"

Well, he might as well put it out there. "Jiraiya and Tsunade do not have what it takes to be Hokage as they are. Bear and Chimera are both strong individually but a strength in one position does not guarantee a strength in another position. I don't particularly trust Uchiha Fugaku or Shimura Danzo as Hokage of Konoha. Shikaku or Koharu would probably make the best Hokage but their lack of combat strength could invite the Hidden Cloud to move against us again."

His voice lowered slightly as he raised a hand to rest his head against his index and middle fingers, "Of course, there are some younger Shinobi who are showing promise." He smiled with a muted sigh, "Do you think any of them are ready to take on that mantle?"

Kakashi looked away for the first time. He knew he wasn't ready just as he knew he was just as selfish as the Lord Hokage. "No, not yet."

The room grew painfully quiet for a moment except for the fidgeting of the younger man opening his equipment pouch. He briefly pulled out the new Bingo Book before immediately returning the taupe covered book.

"We seem to have covered the most obvious familial environs Naruto could grow up in." Kakashi gave a wry smile, "On to more politically correct places for orphans, like stowing them away in orphanages." His tone was dry but still had a slight bite.

"As you are aware, Naruto has been in two orphanages already; but there is a considerable amount of financial pressure placed on them to castigate our young hero." Both winced at the term, "Likely from one or more of the groups trying to acquire him for their own political purposes."

Kakashi summed up the problem, "So, a child, hardly more than a toddler, is to live alone until someone is able to recruit him for whatever purpose they deem useful." Kakashi snorted in self-derision, "At least I was recruited for a purpose that was...useful." The last word fought to be spoken in sorrow, resentment and the barest hint of pride.

The Hokage's heart broke for a moment '_Is this what we have done with our youth?' _A second later, '_Did I cover the sorrow of my own childhood with the pride of working under Sensei?'_

A visit with his eldest and daughter-in-law always reminded him of the good that could be done without war-without causing needless death and sorrow. They struggled to get things done and the people they helped struggled with innumerable difficulties of their own, but in the end the work they did was _good_.

Would his innocent grandson (_he would have a grandson soon!_) be forced into killing simply because it was 'needed'? If his parents were to die, gods forbid, would he be placed into early training simply because it was expedient?

Nonetheless, the young man sitting in front of him showed his fortitude despite his very real grievances. He had grown into someone the Hokage trusted with his life. Kakashi had proven that, despite his shortcomings and quirks, he had the Will of Fire to protect and serve.

He did so knowing the cost.

"I will look into fostering Naruto at the Fire Temple. I believe I could get enough approval from the Daimyo to overrule any political fallouts. But you mentioned there might be another solution?"

Kakashi's voice mellowed into the composed voice of a leader, someone who knew they could strategize their way through difficult situations.

Someone who had what it took to be Hokage.

One day…

"You lie."

The old man simply raised an eyebrow and waited for elaboration.

"Something everyone will know is a lie but no one will be able to decry." He paused as he realized that had rhymed accidently, '_Obito might try to do something that stupid on purpose._'

"Right now you have a seasoned ANBU guarding Konoha's Jinchuuriki for security purposes every hour of every day. I'm actually surprised Naruto isn't in the Bingo Book yet; Most nations can surely guess who our Jinchuuriki is by now."

Sarutobi wanted to interject, sharing the official 'The Kyuubi is dead' line. But he knew that Kakashi was correct.

"Placing Naruto directly into ANBU at his current age would be...harmful to his humanity." It had been a thought, but not much better than allowing Danzo or Fugaku to have him. "But, as you have a highly-paid operative guarding him already, why not 'force' someone to be his permanent 'bodyguard' instead?"

Ah.

That made sense.

Find the right person and the lie can't be unraveled. Someone had to guard Naruto, he was to be Konoha's 'most important tool'. If that guard happened to form a personal attachment to the child? What could be the harm?

The 'right person' was the key. Someone powerful would cause unrest politically with the change in the status quo; If they were taken off active field duty people would question the reasoning. Someone too weak could be disastrous. While this was a misdirection, if Naruto were actually kidnapped or killed… That would be neither good for Naruto nor Konoha.

Maybe a retiring shinobi? But most shinobi that lasted that long were disciplined and hardened. A child may soften their demeanor but if this were to be permanent Hiruzen wanted to be sure of his choice.

Kakashi interrupted his thoughts, "A male would be best. While you may be able to find more females that would be willing to stay at home to settle down, it would sound too much like an adoption. Also Naruto wouldn't have to choose them over his mother."

Well, there went around 80% of the candidates.

"So, do you have anyone in mind?" The question was a bit too sharp. His own mind was better at searching out theories and strategies. He was good with people, but mostly because he simply tried to be interested in them and like them personally.

"Actually, yes."

…

"And?"

"I worked with him several months ago on a border guard mission. He was quite… adept at his job. He was personable and helpful. He has a lot of knowledge. Certainly well past retirement age. He also is the definition of someone with no political aspirations."

…

Hiruzen breathed in and out slowly as he waited.

…

"Excellent. He's hired. I'm glad you volunteered Kakashi!" Sarcasm dripped from his tongue.

"Huh?" Kakashi's face went slack.

"What? I thought you were just being modest in not naming yourself. Did you actually have a _name_ to this mysterious person that just so happens to be perfect for this job?"

"Maruboshi, Kosuke." The two words merged in the haste with which Kakashi blurted them out.

"Oh."

Hiruzen was genuinely surprised and excited with the revelation. That would...actually work. The man was old enough to enjoy his retirement in peace-He had done much for Konoha over his long tenure as a Shinobi. He was also more than talented enough to be an actual bodyguard for Naruto. An annual salary of mid C-rank pay would keep everyone involved happy, he was having to pay more than that right now. Finally, Kosuke was a Genin who had proven he wasn't politically minded. All this besides the fact that Hiruzen actually counted him as a personal friend.

"Yes, I think that could work."

The old man started to mutter and talk to himself as he thought through the possible ramifications. "I think Homura would be easy to convince on this matter. Koharu would go along with it. She would like the subtle power-play…"

'_and then_'

'_yes_.'

His face squinted as he gazed at the corner of his ceiling, '_hmm, no… maybe if_'

Finally he looked back over to Kakashi, "Thank you for your service. I hope that Naruto can have a proper childhood, as much as we are able to give him."

Kakashi squirmed slightly at the uncomfortable praise and his own memories. He purposefully looked at the clock (because Kakashi always tried to be prompt!).

Hiruzen smiled sadly before he also purposefully yawned and stretched, "ahh" he breathed out, "It's getting late for my old bones. I'd better not keep you talking with an old geezer like me, I'm sure you have some young woman you would like to meet at the bar or some such!"

Kakashi stood up and gave a slight bow before turning, putting on his sandals and walking out the door.

* * *

><p>Kakashi did not end up at the bar. Instead he chose to visit an old grave he hadn't visited in years.<p>

Kneeling down in front of it he spoke quietly, "You know, I've resented what you did to me for so long." Sighing, he just stayed there in thought for minutes on end. "I think I'm still angry at you. I'm angry at myself, Konoha, even Sensei." He shrugged, thinking he should make some declaration of change or hope or… something. But he constantly disappointed everyone and he wasn't sure how to change now. He just hoped he had helped Naruto in some way, even if he was selfish enough to wallow into himself rather than help overtly.

* * *

><p>AN:

Concerning Japanese. The Elemental Nations likely do not speak modern Japanese, I do not speak Japanese, and I do not believe most of my readers speak Japanese. I have decided to not use Japanese honorifics or language as much as possible-which is turning out to be rather difficult. I am, however, going to use a lot of Japanese/Eastern culture, idioms and names (if for no other reason studying it is interesting to me.)

Also, I despise the formating of this site for editing and publishing. It doesn't even work right if you rewrite the whole story in 'their' doc manager.


	3. Chapter 3

The chunin at the desk looked up from his perfectly organized papers to see an elderly man approach.

"Kosuke, how are you today?" Many chunin disliked jobs like this. Working at the assignment desk guaranteed no adventure, no adrenaline, no women listening to your tales of daring-do. Most chunin were idiots.

Desuke had worked his way up from the Genin Corps to become a chunin, but not in order to become a squad leader or go on dangerous missions.

He would quietly snort in derision at the idiots who became Shinobi for 'women' (or Kunoichi in order to find men). Nevermind the whole 'death' aspect of being on dangerous assignments, those same assignments took them far away from home for weeks at a time. No, he was happy going to work in the morning and coming home to his wife and children in the afternoon.

He had worked at the desk for several years now (the reason he had been promoted to Chunin was that he was conscientious of his work and the Assignment Desk required certain clearance levels.) While the ink-stained hands and paper cuts were the extent of his own dangers, he had gotten to know many of those same Genin and Chunin over the years.

Yes, he would sometimes laugh at them. But he was grateful for their work and did his best to insure that each assignment would be completed without casualty to the best of his ability-he always noticed when a regular didn't show up for too long.

That is also why he tried to get to know many of those ninja and at least give them a smile and greeting when they were home. (Surprisingly, he found his job to be that much easier than those Chunin that were 'demoted' to work at the desk due to some reason or another. Of course, they were always frowning and snapping at their laughing comrades while their desks slowly became a jumbled mess.)

Maruboshi Kosuke, of course, was considered a regular. Desuke commiserated with the reasoning of Kosuke staying a Genin. The old man had gone on hundreds of missions over his 40 year tenure as a ninja and had seen many comrades die. Seeing someone he had assigned a mission come back in a shroud was terrible enough; Giving orders to people who died because of your choices must be… -No. Working at this desk he served his village and his comrades to the best of his abilities and he would pray that he would never have to experience the horrors of war first hand.

Flipping through the book on his right he looked up and grinned, "Still taking the academy brats on their annual camping trip?"

The old man chuckled in his quiet way-both eyes closed and a humble smile on his face. "I believe so, if the teachers want."

"Of course they do. That was the best part of the academy. If you ever end up retiring be sure to open a restaurant." Desuke smiled at the graying Genin in front of him, "But not before my eldest joins the academy. He'll be the second generation Uddo to enjoy your camping trips!"

"Ah, here we are, Maruboshi." He looked a little puzzled and double-checked his book. "I was planning on sending you northeast on a border patrol near the Land of Hot Springs. But according to this you are currently on a long-term mission." He pointed at an entry in his book.

The entry had a classified marker next to it and was made in the impeccable script of ANBU Pika. '_I wonder what his pay is? I should look into whether he does anything besides paperwork as an A__NBU__._' Pika was one of the few ANBU he worked with regularly and they had a good professional relationship, although the man really was a bit anal-retentive at times.

"Talk to ANBU Pika in the next room over." He indicated the door behind him. "His mask has a brown stripe on the left, his right, and a grey and black half-heart behind it." He didn't think he would ever understand why they painted their masks the way they did. _Come to think of it, maybe the half-heart is supposed to look like an ear?_ He shrugged as he looked at the next person in line.

"Hey Tekuno, still blowing everything up?"

* * *

><p>While Konoha wasn't the largest city in the Fire Nation it could still be quite oppressive: people scurried about, noise assaulted the ears while smells abused the nose, even an excess of chakra pushed on the nerves. That was one reason why Kosuke would often spend his furloughs out in the forest while his most popular mission was border patrol.<p>

The sun had started to go down and glinted brightly off the small stream while silver flashes darted beneath the golden glow. Water lapped softly against the small rock Kosuke sat quietly on and birds sang in the nearby trees. A night heron was resting ten meters down the stream, only a small patch of white revealing the tawny brown bird hidden in the reeds.

In most ways nature had just as much detail as any city: Sights, sounds, touch, even taste and smell. For instance, that young Loquat tree struggling to bloom in the midst of the older and larger trees around it. The wind whistled lightly through the leaves while several birds joyfully ate some of the yellow fruit. One especially cautious waxwing quickly purloined it's harvest before it flew off to perch on the small wooden walkway behind him. The same wind brought a complex fragrance of loam, water, fall leaves and the last of the flowering Loquat. White, grays, silver, yellows, orange, reds, browns, greens, blues and even black mixed and matched all around, from the plain cliff face with it's wooden walkway to the waxwing itself (which had all those colors except green on it's tiny body). The difference between nature and a city was the harmony and tranquility.

Kosuke breathed deeply into his nose and exhaled contentedly. "To produce fruit so early in life is a marvel, it must be well taken care of." He twisted around to smile sadly at Sarutobi.

The man who was Hokage felt his stomach jump and cramp slightly as tears threatened even now. "I miss her."

"We all do, although none so keenly as you." Was the quiet reply. Kosuke tried to read his Hokage and tried a cheeky, "Although none of us miss her cooking eh? I have some stew finishing in the cave if you are hungry."

He had gauged the situation well as Hiruzen allowed a smile to grace his memories, "You know I would never turn down a meal you make, although I would prefer to eat out here I think."

One old man hopped down to the small rocky island while the other jumped up to the walkway before disappearing briefly into a cave. Shortly he reemerged with two large bowls and spoons in hand, "I hope you don't mind fish?" He joined Hiruzen in the midst of the stream and handed one of the bowls over.

The smell was amazing! Fresh fish, various mushrooms and leeks floated in a thickened miso stock (miso paste was easiest to work with on the longer patrol missions while kuzu kept it hearty enough for his compatriots to feel like they ate something filling.)

"Don't go" he coughed lightly, "fishing for compliments. You know I love it." A brief "Thanks" proceeded his first spoonful.

Yep, it was as good as always when Kosuke cooked, the… "ooo, hot!"

Laughter bubbled up, "I may have found some wild ginger on my way out here."

"How delightful!" was the sarcastic reply, but Hiruzen hardly slowed down in consuming the tasty dish.

They both settled down, enjoying a moment of (relative) quiet without youngsters, subordinates or the general activity of a city.

The sun eventually completed this half of it's journey and the first stars twinkled into view-another part of nature that could not be properly appreciated from a city.

Hiruzen chuckled as a random memory came to him, "After I learned how to tree climb I used to watch the sunset from my balcony before trying to race up the Hokage monument and watch it a second time. It was probably great for building my reserves and control but I did it just for the enjoyment of the exercise and the beauty of the heavens."

"Sometimes I think adults try to make sure everything they do has a _purpose_ rather than enjoying everything there is about life." He turned to Kosuke after taking a moment to consider the ambience around them, "I told Pika I wouldn't be able to meet with you until tonight. I'd apologize for keeping you waiting but I have a feeling you enjoyed the wait much more than I."

Now it was the Hokage that faced Kosuke, "I thought it would be good to discuss certain matters with you in private."

Ah yes, this new mission. "Of course, Lord Hokage."

"What do you know about the events that happened four years ago?"

Kosuke looked at the surroundings, '_Ah'_ "Know?" he shrugged, "The kyuubi escaped from it's prison." He gestured towards the cave and expanded it to include Konoha. "It proceeded to attack the city before Lord Namikaze was able to divert it and finally defeat it."

"That is all true. Now tell me what you think actually happened."

Truthfully not much thought had gone into the matter so Kosuke waited to let his thoughts gather while he looked at his immediate surroundings.

This was why this particular location had been chosen. So…

"The gates outside that cave look to be a vestige of Lord Senju Hashirama, one of his protection torii more than likely." The loquat tree, as he had already surmised, was likely a memorial of Biwako so this would be the site of her death. He may be rambling through his thoughts but he left that part out. "Lady Uzumaki, along with Lord Namikaze, would have been in the cave as she gave birth to young Naruto."

He was missing something. Ah, "The latter stages of pregnancy seem to destabilize a woman's chakra control." He half asked that last part, he had purposefully avoided pregnancy in all shapes. "So she would have trouble containing the Kyuubi."

Most of the Shinobi force had known Mito and Kushina were the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi.

But-that hardly made sense.

With Minato there and more than able to seal the Kyuubi even if it did get free how would it have made it to Konoha? Beyond that, Konoha had been wrecked by the Kyuubi before Minato had teleported it away. This little recess of Konoha along with the four kilometers leading to the city gate showed no sign of destruction whatsoever.

Kosuke was not the smartest shinobi and his tactical decisions had proven...disastrous; but years know more than books and he had learned to pick out natural progressions-This, so that.

That meant that either Kushina had been teleported to Konoha before the Kyuubi got free or the Kyuubi got free and came to be in Konoha somehow. Neither scenario made much sense; this cave and it's set up had likely been long prepared beforehand. Why leave the protection behind and endanger Konoha unnecessarily.

Thus, there must have been necessity.

"But between Lord Namikaze and the ANBU chosen specifically for such an occasion along with the medics and your wife, they should have been able to stabilize her and the Kyuubi during the birth of their son."

The trouble that one night had caused Konoha politically had been terrible as Rock and Cloud probed for weakness. But worse, all the comrades dead and sundered-husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, children even. Kosuke rarely got angry…

"Someone leaked the information!" he growled. "A traitor." He paused, "Orochimaru must have attacked them, probably with backup. They forced Lord Namikaze to transport Lady Uzumaki and his newborn son to what he thought was the safety of Konoha before he dealt with them."

Sarutobi was impressed and a little surprised. Few knew that Naruto was Minato's son and the picture Kosuke was able to form, while incorrect in various details, was pretty close to accurate.

Kosuke's voice mellowed, "Without Minato to control the seal the Kyuubi managed to escape and attack the city."

One other side-effect of the tranquil world around them was the quiet softening of wounds. The world moved on, grew, died and renewed. For some this might enflame the wounds '_how dare they_' but, while Hiruzen would always feel the pain, he strove to improve the world he lived in for those who would come after.

"We don't know the full details. But we know that during the delivery the guards were attacked and killed by a strike force of unknown numbers. Unfortunately, we...I," a breath puffed out, "chose ANBU primarily to assist Minato with sealing and Kushina with chakra infusion. We had no intelligence regarding an attack from outside and no reason to expect one."

"The information we were able to gather doesn't indicate that Orochimaru was directly involved." '_Although I wouldn't be surprised if he assisted in the background._' "We did find three dead enemy ninja around what appears to have been a reverse summoning matrix."

Two of the ninja had simply had their throats cut, the third had been largely obliterated. Probably from a Rasengan.

"According to the little information Inoshi could gather, they were likely insurgent rock ninja who wouldn't accept that we had won the war. Even that is a little sketchy-one of them had a curious barrier Inoshi couldn't get through even after death."

The Lord Hokage looked down into his empty bowl, it didn't provide any divine answers though. "The rest of what we know is speculation. We believe they separated Minato from Kushina through some nefarious means. They must have delayed him at least long enough to extract the kyuubi and reverse summon it to Konoha through a pre-arranged matrix-possibly that traitor you mentioned."

A frown deepened on Hiruzen's wrinkled face as he debated whether to include the next information. "We… believe that the matrix required a fourth individual and Inoshi extrapolated that one of the rogues may have had a sharingan-possibly stolen during the war."

"The rest is pretty much historical. Minato was able to transport Kushina to the hospital. While Enma and I attacked from the front and distracted the Kyuubi he was able to get behind and above it with Boss Gamabunta. He was able to somehow transport the Kyuubi to a safe distance and eventually sealed it into his son-Naruto."

Teleporting the Kyuubi, of all things, away from Konoha probably killed Minato regardless of what happened afterwards but Hiruzen still wished he could have been the one to seal the Kyuubi and hope that Minato would have survived.

But Minato was dead and Kushina was in a coma for four years now.

Kosuke nodded in understanding but waited, the apple would fall soon-this was classified information. They may have been considered friends but they never regularly talked about anything more than 'the olden day' or the ever hoped for retirement.

The history behind missions had rarely been a given in most Shinobi villages. Information was generally hoarded and jealously guarded. Sarutobi had followed the example of Lord Senju Tobirama: The village had a mission; the mission was given to a team leader; they completed the mission. Everything was kept clinical and professional on the business side of the village.

It was Minato that had shown his predecessor that information was guarded _because_ it was important. Perhaps he had learned that lesson from the disaster around his student's father or perhaps he had simply known it instinctually.

The background of a mission could be relayed professionally (without giving away too many secrets) to the team leader of missions. This often allowed them to forge their tactics appropriately and with back-up plans that took into account various altercations.

"The mission I have in mind for you would last for the next eight years at a minimum."

Kosuke nodded thoughtfully. Such missions were extraordinarily rare but were certainly not unknown. Considering his status as a Genin the most likely missions would be long-term infiltration (unlikely as that was generally given to the youngest genin), ambassador's assistant or emissary, or an unusual desk job of some variety-most likely a specialized teacher.

Add in the history and…

"Young Naruto should be helped, loved and even respected, instead he will face many hardships in his life. He is already facing some discrimination due to his status as Jinchuuriki. He is also receiving special attention from certain" he paused with some distaste, "factions that would like to exploit him."

Hiruzen, as a man and as Hokage, nodded solemnly to Kosuke. "I am appointing you as his full-time bodyguard and caretaker."

Teaching survival, while not something Kosuke particularly looked forward to (outside of his annual camping trip), was somewhat expected as a semi-forced retirement. He was getting older and was still a Genin, there were only so many jobs available to someone like him. Bodyguard would be irregular but he could be appropriate for certain clientele (a traveling monk would be a perfect client!).

Caretaker? And to someone like Naruto? Absolutely not!

It wasn't that he disliked Naruto (although, come to think of it, he hadn't ever met the kid) and he certainly wasn't afraid of being around the Jinchuuriki. Given the right (or wrong, as it were) outside influence any Shinobi could become a threat to life and limb of even their closest friends. He had gone on several missions with Kushina and the data was obvious that under normal circumstances the Kyuubi was perfectly safe and imprisoned by her.

He liked kids. Sure, they could be loud at times but that should be expected. They were inquisitive and often obnoxious but that was natural.

Kosuke had never gotten married, never had kids and always deferred to others in leadership for a reason; He did not want that responsibility! More importantly, others shouldn't want him to have that responsibility over their lives.

No. This would not work.

"I will give you several days with Naruto starting tomorrow." Hiruzen knew that Kosuke would be extremely reticent to have so much responsibility and had prepared for it. "At the end of this trial run, if you cannot give me a liability that I believe to be appropriate, you will become his legal guardian until such time as Kushina awakens or Naruto becomes an adult."

Hiruzen was Hokage while Kosuke was a Genin, he bowed his head and intoned, "Yes, Hokage."

Hiruzen tried to soften the mood, "I want… he needs someone in his life that can be his family. To the outside world you may be the Jinchuuriki's bodyguard, but he needs someone who can show him love, care, and even occasional discipline."

The two men chatted about more mundane matters for several minutes before the Hokage and his invisible shadows headed back to Konoha.

Kosuke decided to remain for the night where Naruto had been born. Outside of the boy genuinely hating him, he knew that any excuse he could give would be shot down by the Hokage. The only other viable option was retirement, and that was still a definite possibility. For now, though, the cave was as good a place as any for a good nights rest and if he was going to do this he wanted to make sure he did his best.

* * *

><p>Inoichi clucked his tongue in annoyance, last month he had been sure there was a moment of mental recognition but these last two visits had proven fruitless. Still, he didn't see how it could hurt to continue his check-ups, particularly as he had perceived quite a notable increase in his own mind-walking control.<p>

He often tried to conduct his check-ups shortly before young Naruto came for his weekly visit. With his grasp of psychology he wanted to insure those visits were as positive as possible, he owed Kushina that much as a Shinobi of Konoha.

Sitting back in the comfortable chair (he had stolen the plush red chair from one of the lobbies after finding his leg asleep following one of his early sessions-ugly thing, but comfortable) he used his 'honest' smile as the door opened.

"Hey Naru…" He paused. Normally Naruto would be accompanied by an ANBU on the even weeks (when Inoichi was present) or by Hiruzen on the odd weeks. They would patiently wait outside while Naruto babbled, ranted and generally talked for what felt like an hour straight.

He had never known Kushina to have a visitor besides himself, Naruto and the nurses that attended her. A few people had come the first year, Mikoto lasted the longest but even she hadn't visited for over two years to his knowledge.

The older gentleman who stepped in looked vaguely familiar: brown hair (mostly gray now) held back in a short ponytail, a slightly long and angular face, and overall the man looked like he worked out in the sun quite a bit with tanned and roughened skin. '_Maru something?'_

Inoichi nodded his head, extending his greeting, "I'm sorry, I was expecting someone else. Please come in though, can I help you?"

"Master Yamanaka, I was in the area and thought I would pay my respects to Lady Kushina."

Well, that didn't seem quite right. Perhaps the man was being honest, but it didn't seem that way to Inoichi. He rarely found himself wrong in reading people and never ignored his instincts in that arena.

"Of course, I hope you don't mind if I stay. I have to finish my evaluation of my patient's health."

Maruboshi accepted with a nod of his own, "Of course."

The two of them remained in an awkward silence, despite coming to 'pay his respects' to Kushina, the man seemed to not know what to do with himself in this situation.

'_So, he is here for Naruto's visit. The timing is not coincidental.'_ He would remain and had already prepared a jutsu in case his ulterior motives were grim.

Thankfully the awkward state was broken as the door loudly clanged open and a brownish bundle burst into the room.

"Hi Mum, Hey Uncle Inoichi!" the bundle looked at the newcomer in the room and walked straight up to him, "Hey gramps, you're new! Hey, are you a doctor? Do you know Mum? What are you doing here? What's your name mister?" he looked over at Inoichi, "Hey-hey, does he talk? Who is he?"

Inoichi lightly smiled, '_No subtlety in that one'_ "Remember to be polite young Naruto. Once you ask a question it is traditional to allow the other person a chance to answer."

"Right, gotcha! So gramps, you're new, who are you and are you a doctor? Do you know Mum? How"

Inoichi interjected, "One question at a time." He supposed it didn't help that the person Naruto seemed to talk to the most never actually talked back. And wasn't that a sad thought.

The man knelt down to be more at Naruto's height. '_So, he knows something about how to talk to children.'_

"Hi there, You must be Naruto!" The man smiled brightly, "I haven't seen you since your mother was pregnant with you."

Naruto gasped in astonishment, "Hey-hey, mister gramps," Inoichi sighed internally. He guessed that that was Naruto trying to be extra polite. "You knew mum then right?"

"Yep, I was just visiting her." '_Well, that is a definite lie'_ Inoichi thought to himself. "I," the man hesitated as if this was really momentous, "am surprised to find such a strapping and thoughtful son visiting my old friend." '_Pfft, another lie. The old phony was clearly expecting just that.'_

"Hey, Mum's not old!" came the indignant reply.

The older man smiled and opened his mouth to agree but was cut off, "But gramps, you sure are!"

He chuckled and ruffled the boys hair, "You bet I am. That's why you respect me so much! What a wise young man you are."

Naruto's eye bulged in shock. That was...no one had ever said anything like that before to him! "Yeah, you bet. I really respect you for being an old geezer!" he nodded to himself as if to affirm that he was, indeed, being extremely polite.

"But enough about me, we're both here to visit your mom" he winked kindly, "The Lady Uzumaki Kushina."

That set Naruto off, as if he hadn't been talking enough already. He jabbered and chattered, quite as if a person he had never met before wasn't listening in on everything that had been happening in the last week.

'_And the phony learns all about what makes Naruto tick: his likes, dislikes, desires. Well played. I hope you know that I will personally let the Hokage know of this incident, and he does not take kindly to anything bad happening to young Naruto.'_

As if by those magical words, the door opened once more and Lord Hokage Sarutobi stepped into the room.

'_Huh, so. This is unusual.'_ he sent a subtle gesture to his superior, '?'

A quick 'Okay: orders, classified' was sent back.

Intriguing, but no longer his concern.

"Hey old man!" Yep, politest child in history.

"That's Old Man Hokage to you!"

"Yeah, yeah. Isn't this cool? Everyone is visiting mum today! This is so cool. Hey, can we do this again?" He turned to Maruboshi, "Hey geezer, are you coming again next week?"

Maruboshi looked thoughtful, "Hmm, I have some things I have to get done. I'm not sure I'll be able to finish it all in time."

Naruto looked sad for the briefest of moments, "Oh, hey. I bet I can help you! I'm really strong and fast." He looked at the Hokage for affirmation.

Laughter bubbled out from Hiruzen as he looked at Naruto, "I see you've met Mister Maruboshi. I suppose if he wants your help that's fine with me."

"But old man, I won't want to help Maru Bushi. I want to help this old geezer!" He pointed at Maruboshi in adamant affirmation.

The 'geezer' tapped Naruto on the shoulder, "How very impolite of me, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Maruboshi Kosuke." He winked again, "But you can call me Grampa Kosuke."

Naruto half fell trying to make a graceful bow, "I'm Uzumaki Naruto!" he turned back to the Hokage, "I can go help him yeah?"

"Did you ask him if he could use your help yet?"

"Oh." he turned, "Um, so can I help you Grampa Kosuke?"

Maruboshi closed his eyes and stroked his non-existant beard, "I don't know, it's a really hard job!"

Naruto hopped up and down, "I'm one of the strongest kids at the orphanage!"

"Hmm." He continued to think hard. "I supposed I could use someone's help."

"Pick me mister, I can help!"

"I really do need someone who is strong and fast. I suppose the best man for the job would be…"

Naruto stopped fidgeting for a moment and practically buzzed instead.

"Uzumaki Naruto."

The brown bundle jumped into the air and jabbed his hand towards the ceiling. "Awesome, I'll do the bestest job ever! And next week we can all come and visit Mum again!"

Well, if the Hokage approved Inoichi wasn't going to disagree. '_Bait given; bait taken. Masterfully done._' The man certainly knew how to get an active (and sometimes rebellious) child to do what he wanted.

He turned towards Inoichi and inclined his head, "Master Yamanaka, a pleasure to talk with you." He then turned towards the Hokage and bowed, "Lord Hokage." Finally he turned and bowed towards the youngest in the room. "Ok Master Uzumaki Naruto," The man smiled broadly with both eyes closed, "We'll have to start bright and early tomorrow if we want to get everything done so I'm going to go home and prepare!"

Naruto hopped up and down "Yeah! Hey. I need to prepare too I guess." He ran out the door, "Hey, Mousie, follow me! We have places to go, things to do!"

Inoichi heard a quietly mumbled, 'it's weasel, not mouse.' before the door closed and he was left alone with the Hokage (and Kushina).

He picked up his notebook and slid the pen down the binder before,

"Could you give me a brief analysis on those two?" The hokage expounded on the question, "I am planning on placing Genin Maruboshi as a permanent bodyguard for Uzumaki." However, as he said the word 'bodyguard' he also signed 'Family'.

'_Ah, that Maruboshi.'_ He had only heard good things about the 'Eternal Genin' on the few times the name had come up.

Inoichi was happy that the Hokage was moving in a positive direction with the Jinchuuriki. Over the last couple years Naruto had developed into something of a headache and dilemma for him. On the one hand, he was an interesting case study; On the other hand, Naruto had forced his way into being something more than a simple study through his bubbly personality mingled with obvious (to him) loneliness.

Morally? Inoichi probably should have felt a responsibility towards the kid. But, and he looked down at Kushina, a Jinchuuriki was not someone he particularly wanted around his own family and friends. So, he took the easier responsibility as of a doctor towards their patient-long distance, twice a month 'professional friendship'.

Choosing his words carefully to emulate the Hokage he gave his qualified opinion, "From what I've heard and seen, Genin Maruboshi has skill beyond his ranking and could make a qualified," he gave the slightest inflection "bodyguard."

"In any long-term bodyguard relationship both parties must either be neutral towards one-another, a 'professional life' if you will, or both parties must be amenable to each other. The child already seems to have taken a liking to your choice of bodyguard while Genin Maruboshi shows signs of grasping how best to compliment a child's unique perspective on life."

He gave a quick discursive tangent, "That is actually quite unusual for adults."

"In my professional opinion, Genin Maruboshi should be capable of keeping young Naruto out of" a small pause was followed by a slight emphasis "harm in most aspects of life."

The Hokage nodded and turned to leave, "If you notice any irregularities or negligence in that aspect of 'security' be sure to let me know." and he left the room.

Inoichi nodded to himself, he would only see them twice a month but it would still be easy for him to see any signs of familial relationships, neglect or abuse. Meanwhile, he could move on in his life without feeling 'bad' about something he had no desire to relate to.

* * *

><p>Maruboshi tended to be very straight-forward. He never planned anything, he rarely thought deeply about any particular subject and he seldom read books (although he did enjoy attending an occasional traditional play).<p>

Life was about living.

When he was on patrol he would enjoy the scenery and see what kind of flora and fauna was nearby. He wasn't much of a sensor but he loved listening to the birds sing or watching how the leaves danced in the wind. If he happened to notice a genjutsu because he saw symmetry where the leaves should be dancing to a separate rhythm? He could warn his teammates in time to avoid the follow-up attack.

While he gathered herbs and mushrooms for dinner he could mention how particularly delicious that variety was. It would make for a delicious stew! If he conveniently forgot to put the mushrooms in the evening stew that was so unfortunate. Odd how this poor fellow died from poison last night, I wonder why he was following our patrol and what could ever have possessed him to eat those Death Cap mushrooms? (That had actually happened once.)

Why would he need to read a book when he had met so many great people in his life? Each person he met had something that he could learn. Each place he visited had something he could enjoy. Every dish was a new combination of flavours to relish. He hardly had to stop and take time out of his life to 'think on life's perplexities' when life was so full of wondrous mysteries already.

Which is why, after 'going home to prepare', he showed up at the orphanage with no particular plans in place. How was he going to tackle this impossibly difficult job of becoming Naruto's surrogate family? He didn't need to think on that,...

"What, we're a little busy here." A particularly harried looking teenager had passed him by and he had let her go. It looked like she was busy enough. But this fine gentleman hadn't been doing much (unless you called waving your hands at people 'doing something'.)

"Hi, I'm Genin Maruboshi Kosuke. I'm here to pick up Uzumaki Naruto for a couple days."

"Right. Follow me." The man spoke and moved tersely to a small office.

"Please sign here."

Kosuke scanned the document, "This seems to be a release of Master Uzumaki into my care on a permanent basis."

"That is correct. It is my understanding that the...child will be starting a new life outside this orphanage." When he noticed Kosuke's expression he added, "I'm sure you'll find everything in order and that we have taken efficient care of him when he was our ward."

Efficient care. Just what a child needs growing up.

He pointed to a small bag in the corner, "We've taken the liberty of packing his belongings." The man softened from diamond to iron, "We've made sure he has everything that he thought of as his own, even a few of his favorite mementos-a few toys, a stuffed animal and such."

How very kind of them.

Kosuke signed the document.

"Excellent." The gentleman stood and walked over to the door. "Kaigo, please retrieve" he shifted his eyes to glance at Kosuke briefly and changed his wording, "Uzumaki Naruto for me."

It was sad. The gentleman looked like an average civilian: brown hair, brown eyes, strong posture while neither skinny nor fat. But for all his austerity he was starting to sound relieved. There were obvious laugh marks on his face from his middle-length life but now his eyes simply looked dark and tired.

Kosuke had asked about the Orphanage' finances and had seen the abrupt plummet in the last year and a half. He had listened at the market (by turning the conversations subtly to the subject matter). Was Naruto dangerous? He certainly had been to this man's stable and happy life. He might even be able to kill hundreds of civilians in the market (eventually). But Kosuke could likely do the same and possibly even get away with it.

The Kyuubi, of course, could do much, much worse.

Which was why he was the worst choice the Hokage could have made to insure that the child was kept safe. He intended to make that argument even if he knew it would be rejected.

And here was Naruto.

The shoulders shrugged as he took a deep breath. He smiled and offered to take the boy's bag.

Here was simply another interesting person to interact with on the journey called life.

* * *

><p>"Hey, hey"<p>

Kosuke was starting to think that particular interjection was Naruto's favorite word. It usually proceeded a question, or five. The kid desired attention if nothing else. Kosuke really thought he liked kids and handled them well enough. But the contiguous nature of Naruto was making him want to be a hermit (granted, that was already in his nature). And they had barely left the orphanage ten minutes ago.

"...nna do?"

Oh right, the question. Um, "First, we need to go to my house. After that we'll do some errands before getting to work." He wasn't entirely sure what the question had been so he hoped his answer matched.

"Errands? Like washing dishes?"

Kosuke would tell him what errands he had in mind, in his experience if you treated a kid in a straight-forward manner they would listen and respect you, but he never actually got the opportunity to answer.

"We have to do one job everyday in the orphanage! A lot of it is cleaning" Naruto stuck out his tongue, "bleh! But sometimes it would be something cool like helping in the garden!"

Ah, good to know. Naruto liked working in gardens. That should go along with what he had planned.

"They say that adults have to do errands to and it's good to learn how to do it! Hey, I guess that's true right gramps?"

"Well…"

"Oh, so if you need someone strong and fast to help you what does that mean we'll be doing? Hmm, I bet it's gotta be something really cool eh? I'm right aren't I gramps? And I'll get it done the best ever, for sure!"

Part of the reason Kosuke had gotten along so well with children was because he would always take their questions seriously and answer them. If they didn't understand him and asked another question he would continue until they got bored or were satisfied with the answers. Sadly that wasn't working at all with Naruto.

He couldn't believe that he was about to try this but it was worth a shot.

"Naruto."

"... and then we can …"

"Naruto!"

"Oh, um, yeah?" Big blue eyes blinked up at Kosuke tranquilly. Deceptive little orbs!

"I have a job I want you to do for me."

"Oh, oh, what is it? Is…"

"It's like a game, but I can only tell you the instructions once so you need to listen. That's part of the job."

Lowered eyebrows and intense concentration settled on Naruto's brow as he waited with full anticipatory expectancy.

"I want you to find one thing for every colour you see, it could be on a person or house or the street-anything. I want you to remember what the colour was and what the article" at Naruto's inquisitive look he changed his wording, "thing was that had the colour."

Naruto immediately started to talk "Hey, look at that pink hair and over there is"

Kosuke held up a hand, one finger motioning for Naruto to wait. "I'm not quite done with the instructions."

Naruto's eyebrows raised in shocked dismay. Kid should become an actor.

"The final part of this game is that you can't tell me anything until we reach my house. You have to remember all the details until then."

Ok, at least it wasn't quite as obvious as 'the silent game' and actually had a purpose-besides acquiring a moment of relative peace for his ears.

Naruto, surprisingly, managed to follow the instructions admirably well. He wasn't quietly cataloguing the information for a report but Kosuke hadn't expected him to become someone he wasn't. Instead he was running around examining some things in minute detail while at others sweeping his head back-and-forth (because remembering that the sky was blue would be so difficult?) to gaze at a larger canvas.

A few of the civilians moved away from the scampering child, but most only due to the desire not to get bumped. Occasionally a, "Watch where you're going" or "Watch it" would be thrown at the kid but nothing that Naruto probably didn't deserve.

Occasionally Kosuke would see a questioning look followed by a stab of recognition and then of horror, fear or anger. But the dirt-colored child running around was hardly recognizable if you didn't already know who he was. Usually those looks would dissipate when they saw that, yes, someone was accompanying the child (besides ANBU) and it must not be a street kid trying to steal from them or the Kyuubi brat out on the loose. "Is that? No, just a kid out with his grandfather."

Kosuke knew that Naruto was discriminated against in several different ways. Thankfully, it would seem, most of the citizens simply had a name 'Uzumaki Naruto, did you hear? Yeah, he's the Demon Fox right?'. If he ended up as Naruto's caretaker he fully hoped to integrate Naruto into a few parts of the village before they recognized that he and Kosuke's ward were one-and-the-same.

Having a few bastions of positive stories and rumours would help in what would probably be a lifetime of prejudice against Naruto.

They had started to leave the busier streets of Konoha as they neared the outskirts of the city. Kosuke owned a house, even though he often camped out under the stars instead, next to the Nara quarter. It was a tiny little cottage, only three rooms-one bedroom, a bathroom and a living room with a small kitchen on one wall-but it was quiet and relatively cheap. He was much happier with it than the apartment he had spent most of his career in.

Hmm, if Naruto ended up staying he'd have to get a futon or something.

Kosuke watched as Naruto continued to run around examining everything. Of course, the kid hadn't given his house a second glance-not many would he supposed. It was a plain tan affair with a russet tile roof. The wooden door and paper windows were nicely framed with bisected bamboo. Some might say it was homely and he would be more than happy to agree, although perhaps with a different meaning.

To the side of the house a small garden of hardier herbs grew. As a field shinobi the garden was a bit of a vanity but he enjoyed the benefits and it only rarely required attention. Perhaps we would be able to add to it if the Hokage planned for him to stay within the confines of Konoha for the indefinite future.

As he quietly entered his house Kosuke wondered how long it would take Naruto to notice. Meanwhile he placed Naruto's small bag next to the door before going outside to check on said garden. Also, while he wouldn't mind seeing how long it would take Naruto to notice, he didn't want the kid to get lost or scared.

It took several minutes.

Kosuke was more than happy to enjoy the fragrant smells of Shiso and Mitsuba as he clipped a few leaves and sprigs for later in the day.

"Hey, hey!" Naruto had returned and circled the small garden looking at plants randomly. "Why did we stop here? We have to get to your house so that we can finish the job!" He looked somewhat torn between asking another question and simply taking hold of Kosuke's hand and pulling him onward.

This indecision allowed a moment to actually answer, "We stopped here because this is my home."

"But we..." the demand to continue was cut short as realization dawned, "Oh!" The child exclaimed excitedly as he ran around the house finally making a show of examining it minutely. "Hey gramps, you have a really cool house!"

Um, sure. He thought it was quite pleasant as well so he saw no reason to argue.

"So should I tell you everything I saw now?"

Some adults might have shrugged it off as simply their way to get some peace and quiet on the journey. But Kosuke had every intention of allowing the child to report his findings and discuss them. Naruto had an overwhelming personality and ignoring it would simply make it worse. Listening and showing that you thought his ideas and actions were as valid as any adults would hopefully do wonders. It would also allow him to point out mistakes in those same ideas and actions without Naruto ignoring him completely.

What followed was one of the worst presented reports Kosuke had ever heard.

He had heard a lot of poorly organized reports in his forty years of work.

A compliment here and there allowed him to interject occasionally, "Ah very good, the Hokage monument is a great example of brown, would you call it brown or tan though?" or "You already gave me an example of Orange. Only one item per colour. Were they different shades?"

In some ways it was like dealing with a one-year old on his few babysitting missions. "Pick up the RED one. Very good!" And of course you would both clap excitedly. But Naruto clearly lacked in certain common traits taught to children as they grew up with family and friends. This report allowed for some interaction that both worked for his age, personality and energy (the report was full of arm-waving or squinting eyes and other rather cute miming) but also allowed him some remedial training.

"Very good Naruto." It was still pretty early, they should be able to get several errands done before lunch, "Are you ready to start helping with our errands?"

Naruto nodded eagerly.

"Ok, first we need to look and see what you have in your bag. I think we might need to buy some things for you so that you can do a really good job helping me finish my work."

His nodding head turned quizzically to the side for a brief moment before he rushed over to get his bag...and then rushed back the other way to where it was actually located.

* * *

><p>The morning had been both profitable and rewarding. An unsolicited windfall had fallen Konoha's way when an envoy from the Land of the Moon had shown up with a trade agreement from the Fire Daimyo. The Land of Fire's Daimyo wasn't exactly gifted at negotiations but this particular one should prove exceptionally useful as it gave Konoha better access to overseas trade and missions while by-passing the Bloody Mist.<p>

Hiruzen was just going over some of the details with Homura when Danzo entered the office.

"Lord Hokage, a certain matter has arisen that requires our attention."

"Can it wait Danzo? I would like to…"

"I am afraid the matter may be important to you personally as well as concerning the long-term defenses of Konoha."

Given the timing and wording it would seem Danzo had learned something of his own plans for Naruto. But he had worked rather quickly and efficiently and thought he had the upper hand in this. What was perhaps more worrying was that if Danzo were the one pushing Naruto out of society, Fugaku and several of the clans had listened to him. Danzo and Fugaku might think similarly but they rarely agreed on anything-worrisome indeed.

"Go ahead and report then." It didn't hurt to remind Danzo that he was dealing with the Hokage.

"Yes Lord Hokage," came the automatic response. "It would seem the Kyuubi child managed to upset his caretakers again. Neither of the Orphanages will take him in at this point and you know that many of the alternatives would be disastrous."

'_Yes, because you designed it that way._'

"Given his disciplinary problems and unique situation, it would behoove us to…"

Hiruzen interrupted the man's familiar discourse, "I'm afraid your information is behind the times Danzo. Naruto has been given a bodyguard and caretaker until such time as he becomes a Genin."

Danzo looked faintly irate and turned towards Homura, "You kn..."

For the second time in as many minutes Danzo was interrupted, "Actually, Lord Sarutobi has already shared the pertinent information with me. This new format is both fiscally sound and should prove efficient in the child's upbringing into the ranks of Konoha without upsetting the status quo."

Danzo turned from irate to quiet calculation, "And if I might ask who this caretaker will be?"

"I believe we all know him quite well. Maruboshi Kosuke has been chosen for the task."

A glint of hope returned to Danzo's demeanour. "Genin" he emphasized the word, "Maruboshi is hardly suitable for the protection and raising of so valuable an asset as the Nine Tailed Jinchuuriki. I can find a…"

Hiruzen knew he had the upper hand and wanted the matter settled. "Kosuke may be a Genin, but his suitability as Naruto's bodyguard is hardly debatable. He could easily become a Jounin if he desired and his experience in the field likely surpasses that of any of us."

He gestured towards Homura and continued, "Meanwhile, the economics of paying a single Genin a yearly C-rank salary plus a small caretakers salary for an orphaned child hardly compares to the price we have to pay ANBU twice daily for a low B-rank mission."

"Now, did you wish to help us concerning the commercial outlets opened up with this new trade agreement with Moon?"

Danzo frowned at both men before turning away, "I'm sure you can figure out how best to capitalize on a," he puffed out the words, "trade agreement."

As the war hawk left the room Hiruzen gave him one last thought before returning to the previous conversation.

'_I'll have to give Danzo something to occupy his time for a while. Land of Woods has been acting shady recently._'

"Now, what about extending…"

* * *

><p>Naruto ran into the house shouting happily while Kosuke trailed behind, '<em>If he's the one with all the energy why am I the one left with all the bags?<em>'

The two had returned victorious from a shopping trip, although Kosuke might argue it a pyrrhic victory.

They had bought two additional outfits for Naruto to go along with his current outfit of 'orphanage brown' (the best description for the sun-browned child's dirt-brown clothing).

The first was a sleek chocolate brown leather leggings with black tassels on the side along with a black t-shirt-Durable and practical for a kid that had as much energy and dirt-magnetism as Naruto. A chestnut Hanten accompanied the outfit for the upcoming colder months.

The second outfit was a bit more unique. The traditional Samue had a gray weave on the bottom but the shirt had a bright orange flame woven into the side and up the back in honour of the Land of Fire. Naruto would probably grow out if it in less than a year anyways, although, Kosuke supposed, the colour fit Naruto's personality well enough.

Naruto's sandals were still serviceable unless the winter turned bitter.

Beyond that Kosuke wasn't sure what a child might 'need' compared to what he might 'want'.

Naruto had tried to obtain a small number of toys, shirts, knives, etc. once he saw 'gramps' was buying but even a brief temper-tantrum had resulted in failure. Kosuke wanted to insure that the relationship was practical but also prove that Kosuke was helping Naruto without obligation towards Naruto's constrictingly effusive personality.

He had, however, purchased a small travelers pack for the boy-it would be useful for camping and 'work'. . .

. . . and finding the child thanks to the bright orange. Kosuke picked the practical to purchase but allowed Naruto a choice in the style.

A futon had been ordered that would be brought to the house later along with a sturdy blanket, both warm and waterproof, good for at home or on the road.

"Hey," Naruto looked around excitedly before he pointed imperiously at the bags Kosuke was holding, "That was really easy with me along wasn't it gramps?"

For once Naruto's habit of talking over everyone paid off as Kosuke had no idea how to reply.

"Now that we finished all the work you can visit mum with me right?" The look of pride mixed with puppy dog hope was a little excessive.

"Um, the shopping was just a few chores we needed to finish before we could even begin to get to work." Kosuke spoke aloud in a deadpan voice while he was thinking '_Having you along made this so much easier Naruto. How could I possibly get all my chores and work finished without you!'_ That part may have been sarcastic.

"Oh."

Hope turned to sadness before quickly blending into quizzical determination.

"Hey, why aren't we working then?"

"It's nice to see you so eager to help. But first why don't you get changed into your new vesture" as a blank look on Naruto's face erupted "er, clothing. The leather pants and t-shirt. Catch." He grabbed the garments from the bag he was still carrying and tossed them to Naruto.

"While you do that I'll get Lunch ready. We need to keep our str…"

As soon as Naruto caught the clothing he started to strip and change.

Another faux pas from the orphanage he would have to work on with the kid. It might be no big deal to four year-olds but… this was going to be a long assignment!

Kosuke shook his head as he turned and walked to his ice box to grab the leftovers from last night.

Heating and eating the stew was done with a minimal of interjections from Naruto. (In other words, Naruto only talked half the time instead of every possible opportunity.)

It was a simple meal along with the heel of some rye bread but not any less delicious for it.

"Mmm, that was awesome gramps!" Naruto smacked his lips happily as he sopped up the last of the stew with his bread. "We should eat this every day!"

"It's good isn't it?" Was his only reply.

"It's the best!"

"So you ready to get to work Naruto?"

"Oh yeah, I'm going to be an awesome" he paused, "Um, what are we doing anyways?"

* * *

><p>Danzo swept into the room and glared at Fū, "Bring me Kazuma!"<p> 


End file.
